Thank You Swifties!
- Photos & videos below -
This past weekend, felt like a live version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas playing out on the streets of Vienna.
If you’re not familiar with the story, I’d venture a guess you’re not American where it’s like a national anthem. In simple terms, it goes like this: the Grinch hates Christmas - he actually hates the commercialization of Christmas - and he wants to make the town of Whoville miserable on Christmas Day. So he steals all their presents while they sleep. But lo and behold, the Whos.- as they are called - wake up the next morning, gather together and begin singing and celebrating anyway. Turns out they didn’t need the presents. The Grinch is so touched by the love in their hearts that he finds his own.
Welcome to Vienna, August 2024 (without the terrorist change of heart… yet). An alleged threat of an ISIS attack led to the cancellation of three Taylor Swift concerts, which many people had been anticipating for an entire year. No doubt countless tears flowed all around the city, including from my daughter But by the next day, the Whos from Whoville - aka the Swifites - gathered in the streets to celebrate anyway. They sang, they danced, they cheered, they cried, they shared bracelets. Lots and lots of bracelets. Then they came out the next day and did it again. And the next day again.
It was a remarkable and powerful display of how something beautiful can emerge through shared sorrow and disappointment. As my daughter said, “this showed me that people can be happy even when something bad happens.”
The Swfities, supported by the city of Vienna, filled my gratitude list this weekend:
1) For teaching my daughter a meaningful and powerful and beautiful lesson.
2) Usually I think of Vienna as a rather subdued city - so I’m thankful to the city of Vienna for letting the Swifties march and gather, in gorgeous peaceful protest.
3) For all the shared bracelets from “Love” and “Kindness” to “Evermore” and “Folklore” to “I’m Drunk” and “Slut” - we saw them all. The gleaming brightness straight to the dark shadows.
4) Thanks to the Swifties who flew all the way from Venezuela and only found out about the concert cancellation on the plane, for your open hearts and our daughters’ brief moment of connection.
5) To Taylor Swift for bringing all these people together, however you do it. And for every selfie, costume, homemade sign, blaring music speaker and each song you belted out - it was magical ☀️
See my photos and videos below!
