On St. Patrick’s Day, I had the great pleasure of traveling to Greenville, NC (aka: The Emerald City) to visit a friend from college whom I’d not seen in probably ten years. We recently reconnected through the wonders of social media. (Oh, Facebook: part evil, part genius …) I digress. My friend, M., owns a gem of a little shop in downtown called The Sojourner. Peddling metaphysical tools and trinkets, clothing, books, and décor, the shop also boasts a very well appointed herbal apothecary. The Sojourner, lovingly nicknamed The Sojo by its frequenters, also offers classes in a range of spiritual and healing practices. Definitely my kind of place! The St. Patrick’s Day party at The Sojo is an auspicious one for several reasons. Most obviously, St. Patrick’s Day is a nationally celebrated holiday, and as such is reason enough for a party. But the month of March plays host to the birthdays of M., one of her employees, and the shop, itself. So, we were lousy with reasons to celebrate. And celebrate, we did!
There was a buffet of edible treats set up right in the middle of the shop. And as the evening wore on, two birthday cakes – one chocolate, one vanilla – were presented to the crowd. Sugar buzz, anyone? Spontaneous drum circles popped up throughout the evening. My favorite was the drumming that took place just outside the storefront. It provided a seductive serenade to the ECU students making their way to their nightly haunts. Several kids got together and made paper swords, shields and axes. Then they performed choreographed battles for the adults using their handcrafted embellished weaponry. These performances were lead by M.’s children, L. and N., who are two of the coolest kids I’ve ever met. They are smart, open-minded, well-mannered, creative and kind. (Kudos to M. for raising such great kids!) The party was a blast. Afterwards, M. and the kids were kind enough to let me share their home for the night. M. put the kids to bed, and then we stayed up into the wee hours of the night exchanging stories of the paths our lives have taken since we last saw one another.
The next morning before my departure, we all went to The Tipsy Teapot, an amazing little tea house/bookshop/performance venue, for Drag Brunch. Yes, you read that right: Drag Brunch – a brunch buffet spiced up with drag show performances. Awesome! Three queens and a king kicked things up a bit with some lively song and dance numbers while we all munched on our eggs and sausage. I can think of no better way to cap off an already magickal visit! Thanks to M., her kids, and her beautiful and loyal community for welcoming me for the weekend! I had a wonderful time, and hope to get back to visit again soon!
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