Constance Magnuson

In my attempts to be the unshakable optimist, I am usually confronted with question why I choose to view the world from the standpoint of optimism. You can look for everything bad in the world, think it is spiraling out of control and will never get better, or you can choose to see the good in people and the good in the world. I choose to follow the latter. I tend to believe that there is no finality in anything. Even though our lives are finite, life is infinite. Life goes on. For me the goal is not to create something that has an end point but to produce something that has momentum that can live on beyond me, so I choose the path of optimism. I have only just experienced my first Folk Fest, where I encountered a wide array of individuals. Some were new to the scene, but many more who have made a yearly pilgrimage to Fest for decades. I quickly observed that Fest certainly has a significant momentum which can only be further strengthened by individuals who aim to make it infinite. There is no doubt the Philadelphia Folksong Society has continued its momentum over the years. Like all things in life, I believe it is safe to say the Society has experienced highs and lows. Systems were set in place by its creators for it to weather storms and to avoid losing steam. Over the years those systems have been tweaked to improve PFS and maintain the momentum. Optimism and openness will help to maintain that momentum for PFS to continue beyond our lifetime, fueled by a hefty dose of passion and excitement. I intend to bring all to the table of the Philadelphia Folksong Society board.