This is a really outdated post but I wasn’t in the best condition when it happened so I’m going to write about it now…

I always heard about this event called the RiSE Festival and had been wanting to go for years. You basically light giant lanterns and release them into the open air. Well I finally got information and eventually got tickets and friends to go with.

October 4 – 6, 2016 – I was not myself during this time. I was recently diagnosed with my mental illness and my medication had not taken any effect yet. I told my therapist that I wasn’t excited about it and didn’t even want to go anymore. She advised me to go because it will be good for me. It would help take my mind off of things. So I went anyway even though I still didn’t want to.

My friends and I drove to Vegas that afternoon. We met up with some friends on Saturday and the event was to take place Saturday evening. The whole time I just had a blank stare in my face and really didn’t talk much.

The event took place 30 minutes north of Las Vegas out in the open desert, no buildings, no streets, no lights, no nothing. Just open space. We got to the event early, got our lanterns and picked a spot somewhere in the middle. So basically, what you are supposed to do with your lanterns are write down your dreams, aspirations, joys, sorrows, anything that you wanted to let go of. I was nearly in tears writing my own… I wrote lyrics from Linkin Park songs that spoke to me and had significant meaning in my life. At this point I still didn’t feel anything about the event.

The night came and it was time to release our lanterns. They had us hold on to them so that everyone would release it all at once. 3… 2… 1… Let it go!

I can’t begin to explain the overwhelming amount of indescribable feelings that took over me at that moment and I began to cry. I don’t know if it was a good cry or bad but I just cried. Just watching those lanterns float away into the night sky was nothing short of magical. Words and pictures could never do justice to what you see and feel when you are there, right at that moment. You just have anything and everything holding you down and let it go… You watch people in awe as they look up to the sky and watch the scene unfold.

I took so many pictures, but again, it won’t do it justice, you have to experience it for yourself.

I told my friend, I didn’t have any feelings until we let those lanterns go. Then everything changed. I went home feeling better than when I got there and am glad that I went.

No matter how hard life might get and no matter how down you might feel, don’t let that stop you from experiencing life in any way possible. You never know, it may be the best thing you’ve ever done.