Yin-Yang on a Stick

I’m not much of a State Fair-goer. Left to my own, I would never go—too many people, food doesn’t agree with me, get sick on rides, it’s often hot, it’s often rainy, the list goes on. However, I’m married to a man who LOVES the Fair. He’s not originally from Minnesota so finds it fascinating and unusual how our Fair is so heavily promoted and how everyone who is anyone goes. So, I go to the Fair with him.

It’s fun to see him so excited about it all—he loves the animal barns (don’t know why since he wasn’t a farmer growing up). He loves eating corn dogs (which he’d never eat at home) and he gets a major kick out of seeing the flower arrangements (although he is a gardener, flower arranging isn’t his passion). I guess the Fair just gets people out of their normal lives. I’m sort of a curmudgeon when we go----I refuse to walk through the Midway and I’m super fussy about food. It takes me a while to adjust to all the yang energy. This year, I decided to see if I could create a better balance for myself and went in search of some yin spots.

There have to be other people like me who find it all too much. Well, to them I say take heart, I did find a couple places during which I could gather myself together, if only for a moment. One was the sky ride. Here we were safely tucked into a little pod all by ourselves and sent up and over the foray where we could quietly look down on the masses. That was a helpful relief when I needed it and it went slowly enough that it didn’t upset my stomach. We went through Ye Old Mill----a very out-dated but funky ride that takes you on a tunnel of love experience. It’s quiet, dark, and very moist----couldn’t get more yin than that.

I thought the fine arts center would provide some quiet time, but not so. Everyone was jockeying and elbowing. The Birthing Center did offer some nice moments—people seemed to respect the mothers and their new babies, so there were nano-seconds of quiet awe. I had heard there was a meditation tent, but couldn’t find it. When it got too bad, I’d have some little doughnuts which gave me temporary relief. Nothing like a little sugar to put balance between yin and yang.

I guess the State Fair isn’t meant to be a quiet, meaningful day, but rather a head-on collision with stimulation. That’s why most people love it so much. And I must admit, I enjoy watching my husband turn into a kid, trying to figure out where to run first.