Day 6 - All the freaky people...

Spending a day in downtown Missoula is so colorful and refreshing. It is a small college town located between 3 rivers, The Clark Fork, Bitteroot and Blackfoot. The downtown district consists of small vintage stores, boutiques and lots of bars. One of my new favorite locations is The Wilma Theater. It is a historic theater that was built in 1921. It has recently gone under restoration and now shows Sundance and Independent films. It also offers live concerts with artists like Sara Bareilles and Steel Pulse, whom I hope to see while I am here. Along the Clark Fork River there is a park called Caras Park. It hosts several events during the summer. Wednesday's "Out to lunch", Thursday's "Downtown Tonight" and Saturday's Farmers Market. There are all sorts of colorful people who show up at these events. From the senior citizens getting out and about to the hippie hacky sack player to family's out for a stroll. It always amazes me how many different walks of life can congregate together for the same purpose, sunshine, food and music. Missoula is very loving and excepting of it's citizens. It employs the severely handicapped to work in the market for clean up and trash removal. These people are amazing how they get around in their chairs completely wheelchair bound and paralyzed but out enjoying the sun and loving what they are doing. Then there are the Missoula Dancing Couple, whom are seen in almost all of Missoula's music events. My mom refers to them as the Herky Jerky's, but I think they would prefer The Dancing Couple. They are still a mystery to most and some people even ridicule them. If you saw these two, you'd think numerous things I'm sure. However, what is true is, they are in incredible physical shape with not an ounce of fat and they are doing what they love regardless of what people may think or say. That's a beautiful thing to have such self assuredness to not give a darn what people think. It's either a whole lot of that or craziness I'm not sure. But I find it's the odd and interesting people who seem to be so free of self judgement. Including the mentally challenged group I saw at the public pool yesterday whom didn't care how their bodies looked in their swimsuit, they just wanted to cool off and have fun! It's the so called normal people who have all the hang-ups. The normal people who can't eat in front of their date, or don't want to get their hair wet or ruin their makeup. They are the true hostages to personal opinion. I have found myself at different times of my life like that, and the more I accept that this is who I am, the more I let go. The more I become my true self.

In the words of my favorite singer/songwriter Michael Franti -
"All the freaky people make the beauty of the world!"

So I say to you, don't be afraid of who you are, just be yourself and LOVE IT!!