Some days, it is hard not to despair. Europe is on fire and also Yosemite; Russia continues to bombard Ukraine, a religious minority wages war against women and monkeypox invades an already COVID-riddled world. Mass shootings have become a daily occurrence, the damning evidence of the Jan. 6 committee is being blatantly ignored by too many and otherwise seemingly sane people are complaining about the struggles white men face in the publishing industry.
Then, just when you're Googling "most affordable and isolated mountaintops," Joni Mitchell shows up at the Newport Folk Festival and proves that God (or whatever source of sustaining grace you believe in) has not yet left the building.
There at the behest of Brandi Carlile, Mitchell, 78, who has spent years recovering from a brain aneurysm, sang, played guitar and proved there is a reason for social media to exist. Most of us were nowhere near Rhode Island when this miracle occurred, but thanks to video posted to YouTube and shared widely through every media platform available, we all got to start our week watching Joni Mitchell live, performing "Summertime," "The Circle Game" and most especially "Both Sides Now."
