Octoberfest
I was reading in a local news outlet this morning about an Octoberfest celebration that will be held outdoors here in Traverse City this fall for the first time. It brought back so many memories of other Octoberfests that we celebrated years ago with our friends.
Hundreds of years ago when we were young, or at least youthful, we had a friend who purchased a well-known German restaurant in the suburbs of Chicago. Every fall this restaurant put on an Octoberfest that I swear would rival the one that occurs in Munich each fall. The tent was huge and held thousands of revelers. Each year we took a big table for 20 or 30 and got a group together to go….well, to revel!
We always had such fun seeing everyone, dancing into the wee hours, and laughing until our faces got sore! But somehow, seeing the news story this morning about Octoberfest, I did not feel that old enthusiasm about celebrating the harvest at a festival. I began thinking of all the things I can no longer do: dance for hours (chronically sore hips, knees and back), eat gluten (no beer, no brats, no buns, no fun!), stay up past 11pm (the eyes slam shut no matter what!), gather a group (my memory of who I know is gone, my energy even goner!)
Who was it that said the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak? Whoever it was must have been my age!
Happy Fall everyone!