I discovered that it is possible to eat too many raspberries. Many of the berries in the patch we picked were too mushy to put in the bucket, so they were eaten on the spot. I never wanted to see another raspberry. But I was over it by the next day! We throughly enjoyed eating our treasure trove of berries. I have never had such an abundance of raspberries! Alas, it was the end of the season, so we did not get to go back for more.
The blackberries were coming in by the bushel, just beginning to peak in sweetness, when we had record rainfall (a half inch - it never rains here in the summer) and the berries all turned into masses of mold. But blueberries are still in season! We plan to go picking again this evening with some of our neighbors.
I just finished reading the new Abraham Book and feel pumped about starting new Nia classes somewhere in the community. I have a lead on someplace I really want to teach, and a couple of people who work there to advocate for me. It's quite exciting! Will write more when I find out more (it is kind of magical, the way this is unfolding). So far, this small town does not appear to have a lot of larger spaces for a Nia class. I will keep exploring. I will finally present a modified Nia class here at coho. The lack of a good sized space with a clean (non cement) floor has been a hinderance. I can probably do something in our space if I work it out with the downstairs neighbors (and it is a small space compared to a studio). We just got a beautiful new mirror in the living room and some (but not all) boxes cleared out of the way. The mirror really adds light to the space and seems to open it up.
So, I am puzzling over how to reach the Nia population that has not yet discovered Nia. What makes people who do Nia so beautiful? We all have a desire to feel better and we are willing to sweat and play together to get there. For that hour of class we share the best of who we are with each other. It does not require words, in fact, words get in the way of sharing who we really are. So, dancing together without conversation seems to allow the beauty of spirit to shine through without obstruction. And it all happens with seemingly no effort! At the end of class my skin is wet and covered with a layer of salt, but I do not feel tired. I feel cleansed, released, wholesome, and connected. The sense of connectedness is so palpable, we have to touch hands at the end of each class to honor that feeling. I want to expand that network of people I love THAT MUCH! If any of you who read this have ideas about how to find these lovely people like yourselves, please share them with me.
Oh, a couple of weeks ago, I remarked to Austin that I missed seeing the geese fly over. By the end of that week, we started seeing them again. They fly low over our home honking, especially in the evening as they head towards the wildlife sanctuary. They draw me out of wherever I am and into the sense of wonder. Even the act of looking up expands my chest and makes me feel uplifted. I just love it when the geese are here!
Love,
Leela
