How do you react when life throws you a curve ball? I’m sure you’ve had moments when ‘the best laid plans’ went sideways, and you’ve had to suddenly shift direction in a totally unexpected way. Do you panic and amp up the stress? Or do you roll with the punches and go with the flow? The degree to which we maintain our equanimity in the face of sudden unforeseen change is a real marker of our level of consciousness.
Life is always a path, and sometimes it’s like a wide easy highway with broad shoulders and good lighting, and other times it’s like a high-wire tightrope, swaying and swinging over dangerous waters. When the road is wide, and the conditions are clear, it’s easy to stay in balance, it’s when the path get’s narrow and challenging that we need every ounce of strength and internal fortitude to move forward with ease and grace.
This week has been a real example of being in the flow and riding the current of my calling, and then having something that I couldn’t have predicted come up and surprise me. I’ve been in Boulder working with Turning the Wheel on their ‘Caravan’ through local schools, playing records and providing music for their embodiment and performance programs as well as teaching a few hands-on vinyl DJ workshops to middle and high school kids.
I was also fortunate to be invited to spin records for two different conscious dance events, Movement Mondays at Free Motion that I described last week, and the big Movement Mass Sunday dance hosted by Melissa Michaels (above) at the Avalon Ballroom. Movement Mass was truly off the hook, with so many people commenting on how different the music felt, and how heart-opening the energy was. Melissa and her sound crew said that they didn’t know the speakers could sound so good.
So as my trip was wrapping up, my mind was making plans for the week ahead and all of the various work projects and clients I have to catch up with. We were on our way to Manitou Springs for some hot water soaking after the Sunday dance and my phone rings and I see it’s one of my Dads friends in Oregon. My mind immediately thinks trouble, since there’s really no reason she would call unless something was up with Dad.
Turns out my hunch is correct, and he went to the hospital yesterday morning. He’s had trouble with his stomach and digestion before, but they couldn’t find anything specific, so they sent him home last night. But still, he just turned 90 in January, and has no one really there to advocate for him and help him when things go wrong — I am not only next of kin, but geographically nearest relative.
Of course he’s a bit of a curmudgeon, and if I tell him I’m coming up, he’ll protest and tell me he’s going to be fine. But in the magical spirit of being in the flow, things have unfolded rapidly, and I’ll be there tomorrow morning to help him out and offer support.
Six weeks ago I met Teresa, and began a new chapter of my life. We’d only been seeing each other for two weeks when I told her about my Boulder trip. Not wanting to be apart for 8 days, I suggested that she come along, and lo-and-behold, two days later she took some time off work and bought a ticket to join me for the last weekend of my trip and to visit a dear friend of hers in Boulder that she hadn’t seen in ages.
So we’ve just had a few truly epic days together, and she got to dance while I played records at the Movement Mass which lit me up like nothing else. As soon as it became clear that I was likely going straight to Oregon when I got home, she started pulling some strings in her own life, and has freed herself up to drive up with me tonight. My Dad lives on the Southern coast, far away from any major airports, so it’s far easier and way less expensive to simply drive the ten hours than it is to fly and rent a car.
I’m praying that Dad’s going to be fine, and also breathing a huge breath of gratitude at how well we’ve been able to stay in the flow and simply shift gears and direction in order to get right up there and be with him. I’m also really thankful that Aspen, my daughter Geneva’s mom, is so understanding and supportive, and that she’s more than willing to hold things down for a few more days while I rally to Dad’s side.
It makes me think of times in my life when something like this would have been a cause for all sorts of drama and turmoil, and that it’s an indication of how my life is more steady and balanced all the time. The fact that Teresa is a nurse in her professional life is really reassuring, she immediately starts speaking in doctor-patient jargon and is obviously going to be a real ally in advocating for proper care for Dad.
Whenever your life deals you a card you don’t expect you have a choice. You can resist, and find reasons to protest, or you can simply get out of your own way and go with the flow. Approaching things with as much kindness and understanding as you can muster helps too. Another helpful stance is to remember that we’re all only human, and that everyone is truly doing the best they can in the moment.
Thanks for doing your best in life, see you next Monday with more love!
M+
Mark Metz
Director of the Dance First Association
Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine
Conscious Dancer Recommends Frank Olivier’s Twisted Cabaret Comedy Varieté Show
This weeks shout out goes to ‘Funny Frank’ Olivier, someone I have known and loved as part of the Bay Area conscious dance community for many years. He’s a multi-dimensional comic performer who’s doing a tour with a one-man performance called the Twisted Cabaret – Comedy Varieté Show. I consider Frank one of my dear friends who I’d love to hang out with more often, truly a rare and wonderful character.
Invoking twelve different performers, this show is an amalgamation of the highlights from his vast repertoire of comedy, action theatre, and juggling acts that he has performed around the world to literally millions of people.
Several years ago when Frank lived in an old firehouse in Oakland and would host intimate Dances of Universal Peace gatherings, I was fortunate to witness him juggling an odd collection of items while riding a unicycle and playing an electric guitar, keeping up an antic dialog all the while.
There’s very few people who can perform on his level, be super nice, and exude such a high level of consciousness and embodiment at the same time. The Twisted Cabaret shows are geared for ages 8 and up, so I highly recommend them for an inspiring family event that you won’t soon forget.
Coming soon to San Francisco, Mill Valley, and Los Angeles, you’ll want to get your tickets right away before the shows sell out. Knowing Frank as I do, both on the dance floor and off, I can tell you that you’ll be very happy to attend this highly unusual and innovative show.
Thank you Frank for being such an inspiration and taking your work to such a high level of professionalism! I’m looking forward to taking my family to the show in San Francisco and telling all my friends about it!
Frank Olivier’s Twisted Cabaret Comedy Varieté Show
March 23-26 – Great Star Theatre – San Francisco
