Surprising sequel to birthday party

The kids birthday party I posted about on BRGs had a surprising sequel.


Parties change a lot as you go through life -- parties like Meghan's Strong Man party and Alvina's birthday party, where people dance all night, or at least until really late, just don't happen much once people marry and settle down (at least, among my friends). Unless someone is REmarrying -- then they give a big, weekend long party and everyone carries on and begs the band to keep playing past two a.m. or whenever they were supposed to stop.

This may just be my friends. When we have our boarding school reunions (classes five years apart attend), it's hilarious -- classes older and younger go to bed, we dance until the band stops, then stay up all night drinking and carrying on, usually joined by a few people from the class that has just left college. The opening chapter in an adult novel I began awhile ago describes such a scene. I may post it here someday....

But mostly, at this age, the parties are dinner parties, or stand-around-talking parties - and I live too far away from most of my friends to attend even these....I'm always trying to write something and spending the night away seems so disruptive! I don't know many people in Mystic: I just moved here a few months ago and I have been too busy with work to make the effort you need to make to meet people. So, between all these things, I don't go to many parties.

But since the birthday party, I've been invited to 2 other parties here, right here in town. One, by a child:
"Mommy, when we have our neighborhood party, can Libby come?"
Of course since this was asked in front of me she had to say yes, maybe she would have anyway.


And then yesterday another mother called, saying that she was having a birthday party for HER son and I seemed "so enthusiastic" and "have just moved here and maybe don't know many people" that she wondered if I'd like to come. I'm going! THIS party is going to be girls and boys and the main activity will be crabbing. I can't wait!

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Yoga results (physical)

For the last 8 days I've gotten up at 4.00 a.m. to go to a series of yoga intensives taught by Ana Forrest. Thiu is like no other yoga: it transforms you and your life -- you can read about how and why on HER Web site.

Here, I'm just going to list how I've changed physically in eight days.

*my eyes are bluer

*the whites ARE white, almost silver-grey, not pink

*my neck is longer

*I'm about an inch taller

*my stomach is flatter

*I woke up yesterday morning not hurting anywhere for the first time in about ten years (I have fibromyalgia and arthritis both; and usually wake up with aching hips and shoulders -- not one twinge of pain ANYWHERE!)

*I've stopped drinking and eating unhealthy food or even, too much healthy food (not sure this will last!)

So what did I do? Intense yoga for two hours every day - by the end of the class, even the very young and very fit are wet with sweat all over: hair, clothes, everything - wrining wet. And I listened to what Ana Forrest said.

In many of the classes, you pick a spot in your body that holds an emotion or emotions you want to get rid of -- and during the poses, she reminds you to breathe into that spot. At the end of class today, she said to breathe into your spot, and "unclench it like a fist" -- and then:
"Just let it rest." She talked us through just letting it rest.

She also said:
"You can heal. No matter what terrible thing happened to you, you can heal. I know because I've done it."

It's not all serious: Ana doing the Naui walk made most people burst out laughing -- this is Naui. Imagine someone walking while doing this with her stomach and smiling goofily:







People cry during class. They laugh. They come out transformed.