Welp. Here we are on January 2, 2022. This is the first time I’ve written out the new year: 2022. It’s always an odd sensation the first time I write the numbers… especially longhand. It’s also the first time I’ve written in the new year. Welcoming myself back to this practice feels excellent.
I’m feeling both irreverent and humbled this time around. There’s a bit of wildness, fuck it all, I’m free! vibes and - equal parts - tread softly, take your time, listen and rest energy. Seems about right.
School starts back this week - we hope?! I mean, the kids will go back, tests in hand on Tuesday, but the school fully expects to shut down. They have asked us to have plans in place for that eventuality. I hear the familiar sounds of my professional growth coming to a screeching halt due to the demands of life with elementary school aged kids at home, all day, attempting virtual school; a silent train crashes continuously in my mind. Soundless and invisible for all that can easily adjust, or don’t have to adjust much at all.
But still, the kids are going back. Maybe they’ll stay in school for a week or two before the inevitable? I do have better tools now, including activating our learning pod from 2020, a folding new-to-me treadmill, and grace. So much grace. I am willing to cut anyone, including myself, all the slack they need. And, I believe all the people when they ask for what they need. Even better, I’m better at spotting the need before it has to be verbalized. If that’s not growth out of hardship, I don’t know what is…
So, here I am: feeling like both: a mighty lion and a quiet field mouse. The fantastic actor, dancer, writer, educator, and friend - James J. Johnson - leads a fun physical and vocal warm up based on embodying the lion and the mouse. We co-lead free classes with other magical beings for BodyWise Dance each week day. Wanna join? Cool. Here’s how.
If you’re feeling bold enough to get up and give yourself a wriggle, I highly recommend Lion + Mouse. Perhaps it will foster more grace as we go. Yes. More grace, please.
Try it:
Become a lion. Find large, King-of-the-jungle-ish, pounce-ready shapes and movements. Give yourself a ROAR! Why not?
Become a mouse. Find small, tiny, darting shapes and movements. Give yourself some squeaks!
Morph between the lion and the mouse. Explore your environment the way a lion and a mouse would. What do you notice? How do you feel?
Repeat whenever you need a wake-up for the mind, body, and voice.