Hipsters, geeks, urban dwellers, yuppies, college students, marketers, and every kind of individual you might imagine flocks to Austin to hear an assortment of musical artists literally from around the world.
When I arrived in Austin nearly ten years ago, I cannot say that I every heard of SXSW. As a native son of the Lone Star state, I had become accustomed to the State Fair of Texas, Houston Rodeo, football games, and University Interscholastic League tournaments in academics and sports along with every event common to most cities and towns across the state. However, after returning to Texas and coming to be a resident of the Violet Crown, I soon learned about what I had been missing.
Over the years, I have attended concerts enjoying mostly hip hop, R&B, reggae, and a few other groups or musicians who likely would not easily fit into any of these categories. Although there has been pretty much every genre of music represented, I have always leaned to the music that I hold dear and near to my heart.
As I mentioned before, all sorts of people migrate to Austin for SXSW. So, if you were to come, I guarantee that you will find something here to enjoy. If not, there is the legendary Austin Rodeo also happening at the same time with their own list of musical acts scheduled throughout the week.
I arose this morning to be reminded that SXSW is about the pleasure music brings to people from across the world and the money needed to finance a global extravaganza with every sort of business represented from the tech world, music producers, entertainers, and promoters to airlines, taxis, pedicabs, and alcohol distillers among others necessary to make this happen.
On a far smaller scale, there are people who remain a bit less visible. I am not talking about the paid workers behind the scenes, the unsung heroes who make SXSW happen. I am talking about the man I witnessed walking across my neighborhood picking up cans left by attendees on street corners, alleyways, and on empty lots after party goers had congregated among their friends and strangers alike to hear the latest musical craze.
When the night consumes the cacophony and the walking boots and clamoring shoes subside to the uncanny humid and crisp cool of a Texas March, there are men and women working off the clock, collecting those things we might discard as trash, sometimes muttering to themselves incomprehensibly or silently introspective in the early hours before the next cycle begins.
For me, it is important to pay as much attention to the noise, lights, and commotion that comes with SXSW as it is to notice the other elements working sometimes beyond our awareness. It may require an interrupted sleep early in the morning before being able to notice. Even if in the light of day, I would encourage people to look around and see what goes unnoticed and invisible for the many reasons people do from day to day. It may help to appreciate the little things that make behemoth events like SXSW magical in small ways.
When I arose this morning, I found myself in a contemplative mood partly because it is the day that I check in with my Lifestyle/Health Coach about my progress. Since cutting sweets and watching my food portions, I have noticed that I have lost about seven pounds so far. I have exercised irregularly unfortunately even though I am attempting to keep it a priority along with staying hydrated. It has been forty-four days since giving up sweets. So far, I see the success every day. Although the temptation to return to my old ways has crawled back into my thinking on occasion, I have been pleased with the choice to cut sweets. I am not certain that I will return and have no plans to at this point. For now, I will be focusing on keeping hydrated and keeping a more regular exercise regiment.
I have not blogged everyday as I had before; however, I have found that making these entries works better when I feel compelled to share my experiences. It seemed that starting with a daily regiments served its purpose well at the beginning. If I need to return to something regular, I have blogging among other activities to keep me moving forward. Blogging will continue to a tool as my disposal when I want to take an opportunity to have an account of the day.
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