“Listen Curiously, Embody Joy”
Noble silence.
Listen curiously.
Embody joy.
2 weeks, countless tiny miracles. Once again, we allow ourselves to be suspended in such simple awe.
Dumplings, cheesecake.
Leaf tree. Cards, games, We’re Not Really Strangers. The final heart to hearts. The Love. The affirmations. The goodbyes.
Yellow dumpster.
Sunset sky.
What a family we’ve built.
Home is home because of the people.
The care. The intention practice: to build trust. Warmth. Safety.
So that we dare. So that we take the risks.
“We are the 2026 Windwood Music Festival family. We are from Canada, the US, China , Hong Kong, Jamaica, South Korea, Singapore, India, and Brazil. We are guests on the shared, native lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy, including the Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai; the Tsuut’ina Nation; and Stoney-Nakoda Nations, including the Goodstoney, Chiniki, Bearspaw; and the People of Métis Nation of Alberta, District 4. We appreciate the crisp fresh air of this land, the Big Sky, the clouds, enjoyed while we eat breakfast outside, while hiking in the mountains, while driving with our windows down. We appreciate the foods, the kindness of those we meet, and the relationship we share with nature. We find home in the hills and the prairie grasslands, the generosity of our hosts and their gardens.
We promise to share the space with all the beings that live here. We will continue to stay humble and respectful. We understand that the land does not belong to us, yet we are responsible to contribute to its beauty. We will leave the places we meet on this land better than we found them. We will permeate the care we feel for this space and pass that care forwards. We will listen curiously and embody joy, and we will share our gift of music to keep making connections. ”
Atlas. Arrivals. Arriving at the last.
“Some things are meant to End.”
Gracefully, tearfully. Open-heartedly - we dance forwards, on our separate paths, having crossed briefly, having been changed. For Good.
The fullness of it all - genuine, genuine Joy.
We found our rhythm. We listened, listened so Curiously.
We celebrated and received.
Accepted trials and blessings.
The cold. The damp. Rain. Frozen fingers. Frozen instruments. The ‘fresh crisp air’. The students, parents, families, patients, caregivers, farmers, brewers, librarians, volunteers … Laughing-crying faces. Bubbles, kids, puppies, hot chocolate, sleeping-bag-warmed pizza. Colours, magic.
I’m so proud. So proud.
To have created this, with you all.
We’re lucky. We’re incredibly lucky.
This is: truth and courage.
“Listen like how you want to be listened to.”
If you Listen with your whole spirit-
Will it inspire the world to listen like that too?
The heart and its magnetic field.
Tune in. To the frequency you want to listen to.
Send it forwards. Heart centred. Body resonant.
A musical hug.
Place your left hand on the center of your chest.
Feel the gentle pressure.
The circuit completing itself.
Alignment. Warmth.
Heart resonance. Frequencies. Atuning, atuned.
That absolutely pure, simple, silent Joy.
A moment: of collective silence. Comfortable silence. Solitary collective silence. When it all suspends. It all synchronizes.
That contentment. That warmth-
I am. In the right place. In the right time.
Be brave. Feel it fully.
“We can make this beautiful.”
We will.
