By adulthood, most of us know what we like. We have our favorite restaurants, familiar routines and a reliable answer when someone asks what we do for fun. There is comfort in that. But there is also something delicious about discovering an interest we could never have put on the calendar because we didn’t know we had it.
This October, the Body Mind Spirit Celebration, in Schaumburg offers an invitation to make that discovery.
The welcome begins with a huge inflatable portal and fairies staffing the front desk. Golden hummingbirds are woven into the celebration’s “Towards Wonder” theme. Before you have explored a single booth, there is a sense that the ordinary rules of a weekend outing have softened. A little playfulness belongs here. So do you.
That spirit runs through the entire program, with more than 150 vendors and 64 classes offering plenty of places to begin. Attend a class on a subject you have never considered. Ask a vendor a question you have never had anyone to ask. Linger over something beautiful long enough to hear the story behind it. Bring your questions, your discernment and your sense of humor. Curiosity leaves room for all three.
Then stop at the Cosmic Post Office, a free activity inside the expo, where you can send a physical postcard across time to your future self. What would you like that person to remember? A hope you are finally ready to put into words? Something that delighted you today? Amid the bustle, writing a few lines offers a moment to notice where you are and imagine where you might be going.
For returning visitors, the adventure might be choosing one class you would usually pass by. For first-timers, start with whatever interests you. No vocabulary test. No need to arrive with a spiritual résumé.
Trying something new can begin with an afternoon, an open question and a willingness to be a beginner again. You may leave with a new interest or a story you cannot wait to tell a friend. And somewhere ahead, there is a postcard addressed to you, carrying a little of this day’s wonder into a day you haven’t lived yet.
Megan Mitchell is the co-creator of the Body Mind Spirit Celebration.
Body Mind Spirit Celebration takes place 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Oct. 24; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Oct. 25 at the Schaumburg Convention Center, at 1551 N. Thoreau Dr. For more info or tickets, visit BMSE.net.
