Yesterday I had to take a moment, breath in deeply, exhale, and soak in my surroundings. I sat on an old quilt on the southeast corner of the amphitheatre munching on brie and berries, sipping red wine. Next to me were my friends and loved ones. Most of our pre-concert conversation consisted of how we couldn’t believe that we were at the “Cake” concert, how beautiful our surroundings were, how perfect the weather was, and how lucky we were to be there!

As I took a “time-out” to look around, I saw that concert attendees seemed to be in agreement. Everyone was laughing, socializing, sharing, eating, and anxiously awaiting Cake. The man sitting to my left had nestled his bare toes in the grass, and his hands were busy picking apart his fried chicken. I giggled to myself and took in the moment. As the music began, my gaze took another direction and my eyes caught a little girl with a giant pink bow in her hair. She was perched on her dad’s shoulders. As her father danced, she bobbed up and down as she joyfully clapped to the beat of the music. The smile on her 4 or 5-year-old face was priceless. I thought to myself ‘this atmosphere is amazing.’ Most of the time, when you hear of Denver Botanic Gardens, you can guess that the atmosphere really is amazing. But, this night, it was more than the beauty of our gardens. It was the beauty of people coming together for a common reason, for music, for friends, for family. It was almost surreal. I felt like I needed a pinch to bring me back to reality. But wait! This is the reality! You HAVE to experience this for yourself. If you have a ticket to an upcoming concert…get ready. If you don’t…make getting tickets early a priority for next season. You won’t be disappointed; you might need a pinch, too!