This blog was written by Regithechick
I’ve shared the story of how my own personal reset became something I wanted to share with Memphis.
It started with something simple: realizing that I needed to become more intentional about making room for joy in my own life.
More music. More experiences. More time outdoors. More moments when I wasn’t thinking about work, responsibilities or what needed to happen next. More opportunities to reconnect with myself, the people around me and the city I love.
Eventually, I realized I probably wasn’t the only person who needed that.
That realization became The Reset with Regi.
And now, I’ve had the opportunity to watch an idea that started from such a personal place become something other people are experiencing for themselves.
That has been pretty incredible.
Watching an Idea Become Real
The Sunset Riverside Experience was one of the first experiences I imagined for The Reset.
The concept was intentionally simple.
Come to the river. Bring a chair or blanket. Listen to good music. Watch the Memphis sunset. Talk to somebody if you want to. Sit quietly if you don’t. Come with friends or come alone.
There is no schedule and no pressure to participate in anything.
You get to decide what your reset looks like.
Getting to that first sunset wasn’t without its challenges. Memphis weather had plans of its own, and earlier dates had to be postponed or canceled.
Of course, that was disappointing.
But it also taught me something about this entire process: stay committed to the vision while remaining flexible about how you get there.
And when we were finally able to gather at The Prospect in Tom Lee Park, it was absolutely worth the wait.
I watched people arrive carrying lawn chairs and blankets. I saw friends gathering and people arriving on their own. Music filled the space while conversations happened naturally. People laughed, relaxed, took pictures, enjoyed the river and watched the sun begin to set.
At one point, I was able to stand back and just take it all in.
Something that had existed in my head was happening right in front of me.
But what I loved most was that everyone was experiencing it differently.
Some people talked. Some listened to the music. Some took in the view. Some met new people. Others simply sat there.
Nobody needed to be told what to do next.
People were simply enjoying where they were.
That was The Reset.
Why Spaces Like This Matter
Life is full.
We work. We take care of people. We answer emails and texts. We make appointments. We worry about tomorrow. We scroll. We plan. We solve problems.
Sometimes even the things we do for enjoyment become another item on the schedule.
The Reset exists because I believe we need moments when nothing is required of us.
Not everything has to be productive.
Not every gathering needs a complicated agenda.
Sometimes joy really can be sitting beside the Mississippi River while a song you love is playing and realizing, for a few hours, there is nowhere else you need to be.
That is the feeling I want to create.
And seeing other people connect with that feeling has inspired me more than I expected.
Memphis, This Means Something to Me
I love this city.
Memphis is part of the reason The Reset feels the way it does.
Music is woven into our identity. We have incredible food, culture, history, creativity and some of the most beautiful spaces to gather. We also have people who know how to turn a simple moment into a good time.
There is something special about watching the sun go down over the Mississippi River while music plays and realizing this is ours.
This is Memphis.
Part of my purpose with The Reset is to create opportunities for people to experience our city differently …sometimes by rediscovering places we already know and other times by creating new reasons to gather.
I want people to enjoy Memphis.
I want people to connect with each other.
I want people to discover something new.
And I want us to remember that joy belongs in our lives too.
The Community Response
The response to The Reset has been one of the most meaningful parts of this first season.
People have shared it with their friends, invited others, reached out about future experiences and told me how much they enjoyed simply having somewhere to come and unwind.
For something that began as such a personal idea, watching other people connect with it has been special.
It has also made me even more excited about what is possible.
Because the Sunset Riverside Experience is only one part of The Reset with Regi.
One Experience. A Much Bigger Vision.
The Reset was never intended to be one event.
The bigger vision is to create a variety of intentional experiences that give people opportunities to reconnect, discover something new, enjoy themselves and make room for joy.
Some experiences may happen outdoors. Some may center around music. Others may involve food, conversation, creativity, community or something completely different.
They won’t all look the same.
I don’t want them to.
What I want them to share is a feeling and an intention.
When people see The Reset with Regi attached to something, I want them to know that thought has been put into how that experience will make them feel.
Welcomed.
Comfortable.
Connected.
Present.
And hopefully a little lighter than when they arrived.
I’m excited about exploring aligned partnerships and collaborations with people and organizations that understand that vision. I’m excited about discovering new spaces and new ways to bring people together.
Most of all, I’m inspired.
Watching people experience the Sunset Reset showed me that there is room for this.
And now I want to see where it can go.
One More Sunset This Season
But before we get to everything that comes next, we have one more sunset together.
On October 24th, we’ll return to The Prospect in Tom Lee Park for the final Sunset Reset of the season.
If you were there before, come back.
If you’ve been seeing the pictures, watching the videos or telling yourself you were going to make the next one, this is the next one.
Come experience it for yourself.
Bring your lawn chair or blanket. Bring your friends, your favorite snacks and cold non-alcoholic beverages. Or come by yourself.
Listen to the music.
Enjoy the river.
Meet somebody new.
Catch up with somebody you love.
Take some pictures.
Put your phone away for a little while.
Watch the sunset.
Or do absolutely nothing.
There is no right way to experience The Reset.
That’s the beauty of it.
Until Next Sunset Season
October 24 will be our final Sunset Reset of this season, but it isn’t goodbye.
The Sunset Riverside Experience will return next season, and I’m already excited about the possibilities for making it even better.
This first season has given me an opportunity to learn, adjust, listen and see how people respond. More importantly, it has made me even more inspired about what The Reset can become.
And we aren’t waiting until next sunset season to keep creating.
There are more ideas to explore, more experiences to create, more relationships to build and more opportunities to bring people together.
I’m learning not to rush every idea, though.
I don’t want to create events simply for the sake of having events. I want the experiences connected to The Reset to feel intentional and aligned with the purpose behind all of this.
I want to create things that feel right for the people becoming part of this community and for the city that continues to inspire me.
So stay connected.
Come experience October 24th with us.
And after the sun sets on this first season, keep watching.
Because there are more experiences to come, more Memphis to enjoy and a lot more joy to make room for.
The Sunset Riverside Experience will return next season.
And The Reset with Regi is just getting started.
About the Author
Regi Hall is a Memphis-based creative, founder of The Reset with Regi, and lifelong social services professional with a passion for people and community. A lover of music, meaningful connections and all things Memphis, she created The Reset from her own journey of becoming more intentional about making space for joy. Through The Reset, Regi creates experiences that encourage people to reconnect, rediscover joy and simply be.
