I am weeks away from my favorite time of the year—EDC (Electric Daisy Carnival).
This will be my third and final one. There are so many other things I want to do, and the money I usually spend on this will go toward new experiences.
But I can hardly wait to get there… and I plan to savor every moment.
This year also happens to be the 30th anniversary of the festival, and our group will be celebrating a recent engagement.
My first festival was in 2014—Nocturnal Wonderland.
I was introduced to the scene later in life by my boyfriend at the time. He was very into it… and about ten years younger than me.
At first, I wasn’t interested.
I had tried to go to a rave back in the 90’s, but it got shut down shortly after we got there. Too much effort, no payoff.
I also had this idea of what the scene was—junkies, chaos, not my kind of music.
Which is ironic, considering I had my own issues at the time.
Honestly, if I had found this scene in the 90’s the way I eventually did… I’m not sure I’d be here.
So I’m grateful for how it happened.
He slowly introduced me to it.
The DJs he liked.
The different styles of music.
A few clubs to experience it live.
We worked our way up to that first three-day festival.
When that weekend finally came, I was excited… and nervous.
Excited to dress up—tutu, fishnets, fun socks, colorful bracelets we had made beforehand.
I learned what PLUR meant.
How to trade kandi.
All the little things that come with it.
There were four of us—me, my boyfriend, one of his close friends, and a buddy of mine who had flown in for it.
It was the perfect group for a first experience.
That first night…
I don’t even know how to explain it.
The rush of getting through security with treats.
The overwhelming mix of sound, lights, and people.
It was a lot.
But in the best way.
The venue felt magical—like nothing I had ever seen before.
And as the night went on, it only got better.
The lights at night… my god.
And the people.
I’ve been to a lot of concerts, but this felt different.
There’s this sense of love at a rave—not just because people are… enhanced—but real, genuine care.
People look out for each other.
Offering water.
Helping someone up.
Checking in to make sure someone’s okay.
Hugs from complete strangers.
When people found out it was my first event, they went out of their way to make it special.
Light shows.
Massages.
Kandi.
Hits off joints.
Advice.
Just… kindness.
After that weekend, I was hooked.
I started going to most of the California festivals, and eventually decided to go bigger—Electric Forest in Michigan.
A five-day camping festival.
This time it was me, my boyfriend, and the same friend who had flown in for Nocturnal.
We decided to road trip it from California to Michigan… and back.
Two weeks total.
The road trip itself was rough for me.
Mostly because I couldn’t regulate my emotions very well at the time… and, if I’m being honest, I was kind of a bitch.
It wasn’t all bad.
But looking back on that time in my life, I can see how much I was still struggling with myself.
I had good moments.
And then I had moments where I was just… kind of a cunt, if I’m being honest.
And that road trip didn’t exactly hide it.
Taking Life with Chances 
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