Vibrancy: The Magic Fountain Light Show
04.13.24 | 29205
For Reflection:
Consider your surroundings (i.e., your home, office, wardrobe, etc.). Would you like to add more vibrancy to your surroundings? Why or why not? If yes, how could you do this intentionally, over time?
Think about a place where you have noticed the vibrancy of the world around you. How do the colors, light, or contrast of that place make you feel?
Do you enjoy being outside? Why or why not?
Where do you feel most energized? Describe this place. What details of that place or community contribute to this feeling?
Sometimes, we feel small – as in, aware of our small place in a much larger world. When have you felt small, in a positive way?
How might you intentionally seek out that feeling of being small?
Every so often, when I write these journal entries, I get lost in the memories of another time or place. That just happened while thinking about the vibrant places I’ve seen in the past 25 years. These are places that don’t necessarily boast bright colors and sounds – places that overwhelm the senses (although this could also be considered a type of vibrancy) – but which inspire awe. For me, a number of different places come to mind. The woods of midcoast Maine, staring through the trees and out to an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. The market in Ngong, brimming with the bright colors of fresh fruits and vegetables, where avocados cost $0.10 each. A mural in my hometown, on the side of the ArtHaus building – a local maker’s space adored by the town’s creative minds.
The most iconic of these places, however, is a light show I visited in Peru in 2018. A group of my classmates and I took an excursion to Lima during our month of independent research, to explore another part of the country we had called home for the semester. When exploring the many things to do in Lima, we found a permanent light show installation in a part of the city we hadn’t yet visited. And on a whim, we decided to check it out.
The display attracted a host of different kinds of people – locals with their kids, international tourists, class field trips, and 18-year-old Mormons on mission. We arrived at dusk, just as the lights were beginning to turn on and the grandiosity of the display revealed itself. This display, unmatched by the modest holiday light shows of my hometown, boasted a variety of water fountains that seemed to dance to the music, multicolored lights chasing the water as the songs rang out over the din of the crowd. Skilled gardeners had pruned the shrubbery into impressive scenes – greenery arched over the walkways, butterflies boasted multicolored plant wings, and teapot shrubs poured their contents into smaller teacups. The attraction even had a train that carried visitors throughout the lighted water fountains, winding around the whole park.
I remember smiling and laughing throughout my time at the Magic Fountain Light Show, even as the elaborate displays seemed all but necessary. Something about the park inspired awe and joy. As we watched the multicolored water jump and flow around us, I felt the stress of the semester, looming projects, and the acculturation process fall away. The whimsical, raucous nature of the park, the children running through the water, and the various families taking photos all contributed to a simple feeling of joy. Truthfully, to that point I had not considered how truly happy I felt while living abroad. Many of my self-imposed expectations had fallen away in the process of living outside the U.S., and I became much more interested in enjoying my days than in filling them.
The vibrancy of the Magic Fountain Light Show, while perhaps corny and childlike, reflected a side of me I hadn’t seen in a long, long time. It brought out a happiness in me that had been living dormant for far too long – a happiness not influenced by successes or productivity, but by a release and a fullness of spirit. And while I had been living a life of vibrancy for a few months at that point, the light show became the fullest representation of that vibrancy.
I wonder: when have you felt most vibrant? Have there been any physical places or external representations of vibrancy that have particularly resonated with you? What about a place energizes you? Conversely, what about a place drains you? I would love to hear.
Until next time, friends.