Facing Fear, Chaos, and Uncertainty

Dearest Dancers,

Hello, Lovely Souls. I write to you from beautiful Mendocino. We arrived on Wednesday and the weather has been splendid up until today when the wind shifted and the haze rolled in, the haze that is a result of the smoke from fires raging near & far. It’s weird to take in that orange sunset, so eerily beautiful----because we understand the troubling cause. Our world is hurting in so many ways. Humanity is hurting in so many ways. I’m not going to list all the worrisome events lately, but suffice to say this, there is a lot of fear, chaos, and uncertainty right now in the world. Perhaps we’ve forgotten how to be with these challenging elements of life (admittedly, I’ve got some uncertainty fatigue going too----it’s been too long since the world has felt even marginally harmonious). I came to Mendocino, slowed down, and remembered that I do have the skills to move through the chaos. We come into our bodies as a means of meeting the craziness life throws our way. We align with the intelligence that resides below the neckline (paraphrasing Gabrielle Roth here)—that resides in the body-- the source of instinct, intuition, and authenticity. We come home to the body. We do this in the dance. We know how to dance with uncertainty, chaos, and fear. Let’s listen to the body. Please, let’s help each other get through this challenging time by listening instead of shouting, by slowing down instead of speeding up, by softening instead of going rigid, by tuning in instead of tuning out. Let’s be gentle with ourselves and each other.

And let’s dance!

Here’s the link: https://www.openfloordance.org/community-dances

It thrills me to tell you that our beloved Cathy Ryan will be leading the dance from Ireland.

Begins at 9:45am Pacific. Drop-in option available.

With regard to returning to MLK to dance in person, please know that Lori & Kathy are listening very carefully for when the time is right. They're listening to the community, listening to public health & safety recommendations, listening for when it's safe to gather again. Trust that they'll keep us posted in the coming weeks & months. Thank you for your continued patience & understanding.

Here's a poem that seems fitting for the time.

The Dark Stone for Jack Crimmins There in the path, it waits The dark stone, in the center– The place we hoped never to arrive. Life is littered with so many losses, Dark stones, scattered in the fields and paths, Betrayals by death, dishonesty, disappointment. What happens if we meet that stone with wonder, Walk to its cruel center, sit in its Sorrowful presence? Here, yes here, in the heart of Fear, disillusion, chaos and Confusion, peace arrives, a soft surprise. - Rebecca del Rio

I found this on FB and it seems worthy of including here.

Sit with it.

Instead of drinking it away, smoking it away, sleeping it away, eating it away, running from it.

Sit with it.

You gotta feel it to heal it. -Amanda Ratowski

Sending love & squishy hugs,

KB