I am starting to settle in to life out here in Seattle. I am fortunate to be staying with my sweet host family, the parents of good friends of ours from all the way back to our life in Big Sky a decade ago. I am being spoiled with home cooked meals, helpful advice, and a comfrotable room to call my own. I’ve even made friends with their dog, Grace. She’s a German Sheppard, long ago abused before this  family rescued her. We seem to have become fast friends and it is really nice to have an animal around. I’m probably making this up, but I feel like we’ve bonded over the whole suffering thing, and has been lovey and sweet in return.

Not to say that I’m suffering at the moment. I’m away from my family, yes, but I’m keeping myself occupied to keep the days clicking by. I’ve met up with new friends and seen and done things I would never have the opportunity to do in Montana. Watch a movie while a waiter takes your order for a full meal plus drinks? Yes, please! Wander through specialty stores and explore eclectic neighborhoods? Check! There is so much to see and do here, I’m confident my time here will pass quickly.

I’m not just looking to pass the hours though. There are experiences I want to dive into to see what parts fit and what parts don’t. I’m anxious to go to many different religious and spiritual practices to learn how they process life and what is sacred to them. I’m currently looking for places of worship/spiritual development so if you know of something I should check out, please let me know. I’m interested to learn how other people connect and take care of one another and how their faith and spirituality directs them. I know at heart we are more similar than different, and I’m so curious to see how other people recognize the value of connection and love in their practices. 

Also, I’m dancing. I make the hour long round trip drive into the city to partake in the joy and challenge that is dance nearly every day. Currently, I’m taking Beggining Modern, Ballet and anything else that fits into my schedule at Velocity Dance Center. I am so glad I decided to do this. I’ve realized that after months of a protective posture (shoulders hunched to protect my chest and heart) plus stiffness from the mastectomy, I’ve developed a closed-off, defensive alignment. Dance opens all that up. It gently helps me move and start to spread out a bit. It is fun, challenging, and a great workout. It’s also a blast to watch people who know what they are doing. While I resemble something like a weeble wobble- tilting and veering around off beat to the music, talented dancers look like magic in motion. The music flows through their every cell and they contain it and control it inside them. They can direct this stunning energy through their bodies in a massively coordinated and yet sophistically detailed way. It’s super fun to watch. While I may never possess such grace and poise, I still love waddling and weaving around the dance floor. Everyone is kind and welcoming, and most importantly, patient. While I may never be a Rockette, I still spin and whirl with joy in my heart and excitement in my finger tips. It’s good to learn something new. If you get to have fun doing it- bonus.

So this is my life for the moment. Explorer of city and heart. On a quest to learn and grow. I know there are challenges ahead, but today, I’m good. Anxious to see what tomorrow brings and very very grateful for the beauty and opportunity of today.

Give ‘Em Hell