There's a lot of really, really questionable things going on in our world right now. You don't need to be a regular news scavenger to know that. Sometimes, I'm not really sure how to process all of the negativity, because no matter where I turn, it's there.

Although I do my best to remain positive and make a difference in every way that I can, it often seems like such a lost cause. There are so many people out there.. how could a few actions of a single person make any significant change?

I often make people laugh when I talk about my experiences with music festivals– not that they're trying to make me feel bad, but because it seems like such a cliche.

"That music festival changed my life" is such a classic, humorous and often laughed-at statement, but what's even funnier to me is how true it really is. It's a topic I've pushed off writing about because it's an overarching, mind-consuming experience and words just don't do it justice–but the people and moments I've experienced deserve to be written about.

1. I've learned what passion is

To see thousands of people, gathered around every stage, no matter the time or artist, cheering and singing their hearts out with no other care in the world is surreal. Signs are being held in the air, with lyrics or sayings to show endless gratitude to the artist on the stage.

Eyes closed, singing every word, rocking to the beat, sweat dripping, bodies moving in every direction, yet to an outside eye, the audience looks like a connected system.

2. I've learned how fast friendships form

I've met groups of friends at a set or walking around that I thought had been friends for years–but countless times they had just met that weekend.

The strangers on my left and right become some of my favorite people by the end of the set and I've even kept in contact with so many of the great people I've met to this day.

3. I've learned what it means to live in the moment

I haven't once felt unsafe, no matter how large the festival is. When you go to the right ones, you look around you and see a family.

There have been times I got separated from my friends, yet the second I looked lost, with my head twisting from side to side on my tippy toes to find a familiar face, someone always notices. It doesn't matter who might be around you, you won't be left alone.

4. I've learned what unconditional love is

Imagine being front row of a set, and during one of the most famous songs of that artist, the man on your left gets down on one knee and proposes.

The area is packed, we were right up against the rails, yet in that moment, the thousands of people stepped back. Then, almost in rhythm with the music, a group hug containing more people than I thought possible formed (myself included, of course). And then, so many sweet sounding voices of strangers, begging the artist to notice the happy couple, who were oblivious to the rest of the universe.

After all, part of our ~family~ had just gotten engaged, and to witness something as pure as that moment, to hear the stories behind their love after the set, to watch dozens of people congratulate them, made my heart grow a thousand sizes.

5. I've learned what a kind soul is

Like I said earlier, I'm an overly empathetic person, and in today's climate, sometimes it hurts me more than it helps me. That all changed the first festival I went to.

"You are here for a reason."

"This world wouldn't be the same without every single one of you out there."

"Together, we can do anything. We are stronger as a family than as individuals. Look around you, love those around you. This is where you are meant to be."

"Here, you can be, you can do, you can decide what YOU want to do. What YOU want to be. The difference You want to make."

Just a few things I've heard from an artist, while their stage set being lit up with a rainbow, embracing the diversity of sexualities, ethnicities, backgrounds, and futures of the thousands of people surrounding the stage.

Different stations set up around the venue, allowing people to come together to talk about things as personal as sexual assault, to learn about ways to combat climate change. At some "hippy drug-run festival?" You f*cking bet, it's awesome.

Yoga stations, led by men and women who use the time to let their voices boom across the stage, bringing comfort and empowerment to everyone listening.

Festival groups, who go around giving small gifts to those who have never been. Making sure every single person knows their worth and is feeling safe and truly happy.

6. I've learned what makes ME happy

I can't put into words what festivals have done for me. The music, the people, the atmosphere. The experiences that seem so surreal once I leave the venue, that I spend weeks upon weeks just thinking about them.

Wondering how I was so lucky to meet the people that I did, hear the music and wander around an unbelievable venue, filled with lights and art, never feeling out of place for a second.

I work hard for my possessions and experiences, and I choose it to go to festivals. Places like Electric Forest, Okeechobee, concerts like AJR, Khalid, Bassnectar, Griz; they're worth so much more than money.

The experiences and people will be with me for the rest of my life, and I wouldn't want it any other way.