For the last decade or so, I’ve avoided telling people that I went to Woodstock. Mainly because it’s easy to do the math and figure out how old I am. 

But this time of year, when the media bombards us with articles about that long-ago August weekend, it brings back a lot of memories. To be sure, it was a crazy and wonderful experience. Over the years, I’ve reflected on some lessons learned.

1. No one can starve to death in a weekend.

There’s always a lot of talk about the lack of food and water at Woodstock. We brought some Wonder Bread, peanut butter, and a box of Cheerios, so we were OK. But if you didn’t bring food, there were plenty of vendors that had stuff to eat, even some for free. And many homeowners along the road to the festival put out their garden hoses so we could fill our canteens with water on the way in. Not ideal, but far from a lethal hardship.

2. If you call in sick to go to a rock festival, don’t come back with a sunburn.

I had just started my first full time job at a film factory. Unexcused absences were grounds for dismissal! I had called in sick on Friday morning to leave for the festival and planned to be back to work on Monday. However, as everyone now knows, it was nearly impossible to leave Woodstock on Sunday as most roads out of the area didn’t  open until Monday morning. I stood in line for an hour to use a payphone to call in sick again and then showed up to work on Tuesday morning with a sunburn. That precipitated another lie. I told my boss I fell asleep in the backyard while recuperating from my weekend illness. I didn’t get fired, but I hated that job and it probably would have been a good thing if I did.

3. Rock music is my religion.

When I think back on all the incredible music I experienced in that farmer’s field, it’s hard to believe that nearly every iconic band from the 60’s performed that weekend. The soundtrack of my life was “live” at Woodstock and that is my most enduring memory. My biggest regret is that I couldn’t stick it out to see Hendrix on Monday morning. For the reason, see the next lesson.

4. When it rains, don’t try to save your sleeping bag.

When it started raining, I was sitting on my sleeping bag in an open corn field. The bag wasn’t one of those modern lightweight synthetic ones, but a heavy flannel and cotton blanket with a metal zipper. A few hours of rain later, the sleeping bag had gained four times its weight in water. Late that night, walking two miles back to the car with it over my shoulder was a big waste, as the bag had to be trashed anyway, so no sleep for me that night. I must admit, I was exhausted from the weekend as well.

5. Just when you think you’re lost, you can be found.

I hitched a ride to Woodstock with my boyfriend, but he couldn’t take me home, so I arranged to meet friends for the return trip. I planned to leave them a message at the Woodstock Festival “information booth” explaining where to find me. Needless to say, the absence of an information booth was the least of the organizers’ worries, so I had no idea how I would connect with my friends. We had parked “along the side of a side road” (thanks, Arlo Guthrie), about two miles from Yasgur’s Farm. On Saturday morning, as I sat on the hood of the car munching Cheerios without milk, my friends suddenly drove by. I was found!

It just goes to show you that you never know when something random is going to happen that may change your life forever. And sometimes it helps you find your way home.