What Were You Thinking?! Joy.

Picture this: six girls and a boy, all seventeen years old, passing by the reptile petting zoo booth at the Minnesota State Fair around 10:30 PM. It is dark, but the street lights and neon signs glow brightly. The street is crowded; people bump shoulders as they stroll toward their next purchase. They speak to their families or friends they came with, but usually nothing more than an “excuse me” to the others on the street. It smells like deep-fried something.

Music blares from the booth. The song is Build Me Up Buttercup. One of the six girls, a short brunette, looks at another, a tall blonde, and says, “Shall we dance?” The other responds with three nods, perfectly timed to the beat of the music. Within ten seconds the entire group of teenagers begins dancing and singing in the street outside of the reptile petting zoo booth at the Minnesota State Fair.

Now picture the looks on peoples’ faces as they pass by. A few are annoyed, some giggle, entertained by the sight, and some are just plain confused. The managers of the reptile booth can’t really figure out what is going on, but it looks like fun. Some policemen stop to watch, looking closely to see if the teenagers are under some sort of influence. But they aren’t under any influence at all. Just having the time of their lives, dancing outside the reptile petting zoo booth at the Minnesota State Fair.

The song switches to country: Fishin’ in the Dark. The teenagers, now more courageous, serenade the passersby, throwing in some country-fied dance moves. A few passersby join in, much to the delight of the seven seventeen-year-olds. Some people roll their eyes and walk by. Most joyfully stop to watch. Many smile and decide to enter the booth. But the seven were just having the time of their lives, dancing outside the reptile petting zoo booth at the Minnesota State Fair.

This was my Wednesday night experience at the “Great Minnesota Get Together.” I was one of the seven, and it was easily one of my favorite nights of the summer, just dancing on a busy street outside the reptile booth. Of course, I love to dance and that always makes me happy, but one of the most interesting things was noticing peoples’ reactions when they realized what we were doing. Yes, there were a few eye-rollers and a few with the “ugh, teenagers” mentality, but for the most part people reacted with pure joy. Their eyes lit up, their posture straightened, and many even cracked a smile. The ones that danced with us or sang along were just bursting with happiness!  It struck me that just seven kids with a few dorky dance moves could change the atmosphere of the street so quickly. Our willingness to break the norm and just be happy and dance spread joy quicker than swine flu spreads. As I think about it, I think this experience showed me a few things: 1. It doesn’t take much to bring joy, but when it’s brought it is completely contagious. 2. Seven teenagers with a few dorky moves can really change things…State Fair today, the world tomorrow? 3. It is always a good idea to just get up and dance.

More Soon,

Sami