Happy 4th of July!
Today is always bittersweet.
Today, I celebrate my anniversary.
Today, the country celebrates her independence.
Today, we as citizens of the United States, celebrate our freedoms to disagree, challenge, and question without persecution. (or do we...?)
......
Today, I read stories about children and adults put into challenging situations because of their hopes and dreams for a better life.
Today, I watch demonstrations of material power.
Today, I remember an embodied collective of joy and love.
......
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood is modeled after the famed Mr. Rodger's show. In one particular episode, Daniel is reminded (and reminds those watching) to "Enjoy the WOW that's happening NOW."
We watched that episode today.
And as I watch my wedding video - and the news feeds, I can't help but hear Daniel's, and Ms. Tiger's voices ringing in my head, singing, "Enjoy the WOW that's happening NOW!".
The NOW of the moment of my wedding.
The NOW of the folks who are in my wedding video but are no longer physically present.
The NOW of the possibilities of many years ago and the NOW that exists in this moment (both personally and nationally).
The WOW of memories that have been captured in this video. And the WOW of the memories that I can only hold in my heart.
......
In 2016 I began the process of exploring Grief in LEFT BEHIND.
I don't think that I'll ever understand this phenomenon, no matter how many different ways I embody and experience it. But, in this post, I feel it's important to acknowledge that there's a WOW in reflecting on the NOW.
The WOW is painful and heartbreaking and capable of collapsing the human form. And yet, that WOW withstands the impossible pain of loss and grief.
The WOW is in the resilience of the human form to keep moving in face of the unbearable.
Enjoy the WOW that's happening NOW.
Damn...!
.... Happy 4th.
Thank you to those who have served (including our/ your families) and those who continue to serve, in whatever form that manifests.
and...in the words of Daniel Tiger, "Ugga mugga....!"
Thursday, July 4, 2019
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
HOMEostasis
Homeostasis (hoe-mee-oh-say-sis):
Noun.
1. "The tendency of a system, especially the physiological system of higher animals, to maintain internal stability, owing to the coordinated response of its parts to any situation or stimulus that would tend to disturb its normal condition or function.
2. (from psychology) a state of psychological equilibrium obtained when tension or a drive has been reduced or eliminated.
3. (from entomology) the ability of members of a colony of social insects to behave cooperatively to produce a desired result, as when bees coordinate the fanning of their wings to cool the hive."
~from dictionary.com
or, from dance artist and Doctor of Physical Therapy Laura Baehr, "it's the constant shifting that our bodies are doing to maintain a sense of normalcy. That normalcy is never stable and the parts that work to keep a sense of stability are in constant flux and change. We have this illusion of stability in our bodies (and in our lives) that there is a constant, almost flat line "normal" but in fact, from a medical perspective (and a dance perspective, and a mental health perspective), we're constantly making negotiations to maintain that sense of equilibrium."
..........
We're in the process of unfolding what HOME means.
Is it a place?
How do we as dancers experience it in our bodies?
How do we as people who work with other bodies, as educators and healers, hear how other people manifest HOME in their bodies - or not?
What can we learn about looking at how we define HOME and how we are drawn to or repulsed by certain notions of HOME? How does digging into and sharing our HOMES provide more information about us and the way we interact with our world?
..........
As in the case of homeostasis.
..........
Language is interesting. The latin "Homeo" means "like or similar to". But, HOME can be very complicated.
Stay tuned as we negotiate our own way of maintaining a sense of stability in this journey.
Noun.
1. "The tendency of a system, especially the physiological system of higher animals, to maintain internal stability, owing to the coordinated response of its parts to any situation or stimulus that would tend to disturb its normal condition or function.
2. (from psychology) a state of psychological equilibrium obtained when tension or a drive has been reduced or eliminated.
3. (from entomology) the ability of members of a colony of social insects to behave cooperatively to produce a desired result, as when bees coordinate the fanning of their wings to cool the hive."
~from dictionary.com
or, from dance artist and Doctor of Physical Therapy Laura Baehr, "it's the constant shifting that our bodies are doing to maintain a sense of normalcy. That normalcy is never stable and the parts that work to keep a sense of stability are in constant flux and change. We have this illusion of stability in our bodies (and in our lives) that there is a constant, almost flat line "normal" but in fact, from a medical perspective (and a dance perspective, and a mental health perspective), we're constantly making negotiations to maintain that sense of equilibrium."
..........
We're in the process of unfolding what HOME means.
Is it a place?
How do we as dancers experience it in our bodies?
How do we as people who work with other bodies, as educators and healers, hear how other people manifest HOME in their bodies - or not?
What can we learn about looking at how we define HOME and how we are drawn to or repulsed by certain notions of HOME? How does digging into and sharing our HOMES provide more information about us and the way we interact with our world?
..........
As in the case of homeostasis.
..........
Language is interesting. The latin "Homeo" means "like or similar to". But, HOME can be very complicated.
Stay tuned as we negotiate our own way of maintaining a sense of stability in this journey.
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