It’s been ages since my last entry. Here’s the reason: In October I went on a meditation retreat at San Damiano. Most of us know that in meditation we are attempting to still the mind. The retreat facilitator said many memorable things, but when he mentioned how difficult it is to quiet our minds, living as we do in the digital world of computers, that is when I sat up and really began to pay attention! I love computer technology, as evidenced by creating this blog. But computers and television present a myriad of images, making it ever more difficult to quiet one’s mind. I had toyed with the idea of cutting back on my computer time, and on retreat I became convinced this was necessary, if I want to make it easier to quiet my mind for daily meditation. Hence, my lack of blog posts these many months.
I don’t want to give up my blog! But I do plan to keep the entries to widely spaced updates. I will continue using the blog as an online journal, publishing a post occasionally when the Spirit moves me.
And now, on to HULA!!
Last June, a friend invited me to her first hula recital. She had completed a six-month beginner course and the followup class, and their teacher had organized a recital so the students could perform for the community at large.
To support my friend I went to the recital, unprepared for the sheer enjoyment I experienced watching these women (and one man) dance the hula! Enthusiasm and warmth are two words that come to mind, to describe what the dancers conveyed onstage that day. The group embodied the aloha spirit: there were young and old women, large and small, and male and female dancers. Each person was welcomed and respected, whatever the level of his or her ability.
I’ve always loved to dance, but I haven’t done much of that in recent years. My thoughts as I watched my friend and her group perform were that I would love to join the group and learn to dance Hawaiian style. And that’s what I did, when the next class started up last September.
When we completed our eight-week course just last Friday, it was our turn to have a recital. We invited a few family and friends, and you can watch the video Tom made, above this blog!
Learning to dance the hula is all, and more, than I hoped it would be! I love every moment, every movement, the music, the aloha spirit, the sensuousness, and especially our teacher, Betty Ann. For an hour and a half each week, I am magically transported to the Islands, as I sway and dance, island-style!
ALOHA!
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