Fans of the Grateful Dead have blossomed into one of the kindest, most spirited, and joyful communities in music history. Their culture promotes undisturbed happiness, endless love, ever-flowing gratitude, and a sense of unabashed freedom like no other. Now, in the age of the Internet, the Dead Head community is able to share some of their wildest stories, recordings, and videos for other fans to enjoy. The online community has also become a reliable source for locating certain people, who might have shared a particularly touching moment and would like to reconnect.
Last night, one Grateful Father made a touching post in the Facebook group “Dead Lot” seeking a woman he’d met on the lawn at the Dead & Company show this past Tuesday at SPAC. She’d given his son a few glow sticks and a balloon that might have changed the boy’s understanding of the world forever. As innocent as these gifts may have been, the father explains that his experience with the balloon “turned into a lesson in kindness, and joy that he will carry with him for the rest of his life.”
Read the full post below, and help find this mystery woman!
You said you teach pre-school, and used to teach 2nd Grade. You stood near my son Wyatt, (pictured below), and I at SPAC this past Tuesday. If you’re out there, and you see this, know that you made a difference, a HUGE difference in the life of my beautiful boy. You had no way of knowing of course, but Wyatt has been through so much this past year academically, socially, and on the home front with his Mom’s irratic and very troubled involvement in his life.
You gave Wyatt a glass tube with bubbles and took out one of your own, and you blew bubbles with him. You cheered him on as he blew greater and greater amounts of bubbles and I saw my son’s eyes light up, and I saw him smiling. Next you gave him several glow sticks and he was thrilled with this as well. He was so touched by your energy, your spirit, your kindness, that he asked me, “Daddy, can I give her this?” holding aloft a pink glow stick that we had brought. At first I told him that I didn’t think it was necessary. That you had so much already that it was okay if he didn’t. In my mind I thought, “She already has tons of glow sticks, she doesn’t need one of his.” But Wyatt persisted, “Please Daddy? Pleeeease!!” I acquiesced. You thanked my son profusely, and then you did what was perhaps, for him, the greatest thing of the entire concert, you gave him a balloon. Not long after that, you were on your way.
This was no ordinary balloon however, it was a punching balloon that you’d outfitted internally with a glowing device that changed colors. If you are out there reading this somewhere, please know that this balloon then became Wyatt’s greatest joy. He held this beautiful, colorful orb, and danced with it all night in his hands. When I hoisted him up on my shoulders he held his beautiful baloon up high and spun it around hoping that everyone could see just how glorious a thing it was! He marveled that he could “FEEL” the music as it vibrated his balloon. And I told him the story of Deaf Heads, the front row, and balloons, and he marveled that deaf people could enjoy the same music that he was now enjoying.
A couple of times throughout the night Wyatt asked if you were returning, and I explained to him that it was unlikely. At the very end of the night Wyatt began throwing the balloon upward and catching it. Just a foot or two at first, and then higher. And then, during the encore of Brokedown Palace it happened. Wyatt threw his balloon up just a smidge too high, and a gentle breeze caught hold of it and carried it forward toward the stage a few rows. And when it came down another fan bopped it further foward, and then again, and again. And although I initially tried to retrieve it, I knew it was not to be.
I turned to my boy who had been enthralled with the entire night, who had worn a smile since the moment the music had begun playing, and there were tears in his eyes. “I want my balloon back Daddy.” he wept. “I’m so sorry baby, but we can’t get it back.”, I said. “But look, see it, over there?”, and I pointed to where the magical balloon you’d given my son had risen up above the audience, still aglow with color as it floated effortlessly further toward the stage. “See, other people are getting to enjoy it now. Just like that nice woman gave it to you and you got to feel all that joy in your heart all night from having it. Now every single person who gets to tap it gets to taste a little of that joy too. And that’s what you gave to them. Isn’t that special? Isn’t that a wonderful thing? You spread joy to sooooo many people just now!”
And with that Wyatt’s tears stopped. The joy and the glow from before returned to his eyes, and I got down on my knees to his level, put my arm around him, and rocked back and forth for the rest of the encore with Bobby serenading us. As we were packing up Wyatt said to me, “Daddy, we have to say thank you to the balloon lady. We have to tell her her how many people enjoyed her balloon. I told him that I was certain that you knew. “I still want to tell her anyway.”, he replied. Personally, I think he just missed you and your kind energy. We both did, you were terrific.
So if by some chance you are indeed out there reading this, thank you! Thank you from Wyatt, and thank you just as much from me for giving my boy a balloon that turned into a lesson in kindness, and joy that he will carry with him for the rest of his life.
*UPDATE* We are thrilled to announce that The Balloon Lady has been found, and sent this loving response to her new friends:
