Post-Playa update:  Our generous Burning Man ticket winner “Squirt Gun” gave one of her tickets to “Kiki,” who I got to meet at the Playa Terps party. Kiki beautifully expresses her opening heart here…

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Original post:

Last week, my friend Tim Ferriss partnered with me on a little contest on his blog with a pair of Burning Man tickets as the prize. To enter, we asked people to tell us — in 100 words or less — how festivals have transformed their lives and/or to share their “burning desire” to go. We received over 250 entries with an impressive and heartfelt collection of stories. Choosing just one winner was tough. But, our winner created something special at Burning Man and wanted to give the tickets away. I was thrilled to find out about Cathy (AKA “Squirt Gun” on the Playa) and her camp. Here is her winning entry…

“I first attended Burning Man in 2006 and fell in love with the boy next door. Now we are married. I attend annually. As a sign language interpreter I noticed there were no services for Deaf Burners to fully connect with fellow Burners, so we created Playa Terps to provide interpreters. The two tickets will go to Deaf Burners who want to go this year. It’s not just about how Burning Man has changed my world, but how it is changing theirs too.”

I’m looking forward to meeting Cathy at Burning Man this week, and hope to share more about Playa Terps upon my return.

ASL “Love” by Eloise Schneider. Print available here.

Meanwhile, here is the blogpost that accompanied the contest:

8 REASONS WHY FESTIVALS CAN TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE