August 02, 2007
Ballet Lesson for Today
It's amazing what you learn in the ballet studio. Today, Kat, the instructor, scolded me, during adagio (the first thing you do after bar. It's slow, lyrical, and involves lots of arm movements). There reached a point when I blanked out on the next movement, I guess. Apparently, when that happend she told me that I stopped for and made a strange face and put my hand on my shoulder.
"It's very obvious" she explained "when you make a mistake because you stop etc... Don't do that. Own your mistakes. If you make one don't stop, move forward. Relax, if I was hiring you I wouldn't reject you because of these little mistakes."
Hmmm...I liked what she said which is rare cause usually ballet instructors just make things more confusing by talking. The second time around I felt so much more relaxed and excited and even when I made an error or didn't quite know if I was doing the movement 100% correctly, I tried not to worry. It was a wonderful recovery.
This episode got me thinking about the fear I have of making mistakes in other aspects of life. Sometimes, I feel that the fear of doing something wrong becomes the driving force in my actions. For example, I want to be a good daughter, grandaughter, roomate, friend but sometimes I'm scared that I'm not and therefore the actions that precede from me are based on this fear that I'm not doing it right etc... This thinking drowns me in anxiety. Ugh, I know Jesus doesn't wants this. My whole being feels the error and the bondage to this. Set me free..."I was born to love...I'm gonna learn to love without fear...". (O.Rh.)
| By larawalk | 08:34 PM | Comments (3)
July 18, 2007
Are you Married?
My Grandmemother and I were at Grace and Peace this morning getting some stuff together for a wedding reception. The food pantry was in session at the same time and while we were entering the church we passed a few of the people coming to pick up goods. My grandmother introduced me to one of the woman out waiting. She was Russian (Eastern Euro. at least) with a very stout figure and white hair. She took a good look at me and then cut to the chase,
"are you married" she asked.
oh no, here we go with that annoying question, I thought. Shockingly, the next word out of her mouth was an exuberant "GOOD". Ha! Definitly not the response I was expecting! It made me laugh though you could view the situation as sad too I suppose...
| By larawalk | 01:59 PM | Comments (9)
July 17, 2007
Hello ( for a minute)
My blog is drying up like parched summer soil or if you like the state of a vegetable garden mid January--you may not see much action on the outside but should you till the frozen soil, a host of activity would great you. Regardless of imagry, I've been out of touch w/ this thing for a while and miss it. Don't think it will start raining (or blossoming if you choose) till August or so. Looking forward to a lull in the wind...
| By larawalk | 10:57 PM | Comments (4)
June 22, 2007
Summer
It's not summer till I hear the cicadas singing in the trees. That pulsing rhythm, it's crazy how it gets under the skin, pulling up old feelings, moods, places...
I forget, summer used to be FREE; a paradise with darkness falling late, lightning bugs glowing in jars, visits to blue Lake Michigan, birthday parties with real candy (not carab).
Presently, I'm at home. Mom's garden is drying up like a shriveled breast (she's till out of town). I tried watering it but the sun has probably soaked all the H2O up by now. Probably best to water in the early morning or dusk. I had the day off so I'm sitting here trying to process the fact that it's summer...
| By larawalk | 03:05 PM | Comments (2)
June 18, 2007
Fairie Origins?
I found the following article in a text book I'm reading for a class on Special Education.
Folktales from many cultures feature magical "little people"-pixies, elves, trolls, and fairies. A number of physical and behavioral similarities suggest that at least some of the fairies in the early tales might have been modeled on people who had Williams syndrome. Such a view is in keeping with the contention of historians that a good deal of folklore and mythology is based on real life.
The facial traits of Williams people are often described as pixielike. In common with pixies in folklore and art many people with Williams syndrome have small upturned noses, a depressed nasal bridge "puffy"eyes, oval ears, and broad mouths with full lips accented by a small chin. Indeed those features are so common that Williams children tend to look more like one another than their relatives especially as children. The syndrome also is accompanied by slow growth development, which leads most Williams individuals to be relatively short.
The "Wee magical people"of assorted folktales often are musicians and storytellers. Fairies are said to "repeat the songs they have heard" and can "enchant"humans with their melodies. Much the same can be said of people with Williams syndrome who in spite of typically having subnormal IQs, usually display vivid narrative skills and often show talent for music. (The large pointed ears that are so often associated with fairies might symbolically represent the sensitivity of those mythical individuals -- and of Williams people -- to music and to sound in general.)
As a group, Williams people are loving, trusting, caring, and extremely sensitive to the feelings of others. Similarly, elves are frequently referred to as the "good people" or as kind and gentle-hearted souls...
-Adapted from article Williams syndrome and the brain by Howard M. Lenhoff Paul P. Wang, Frank Greenberg Ursulat Bellugi
| By larawalk | 12:29 AM | Comments (7)
June 17, 2007
Hanging out with Michelangelo
.JPG)
| By larawalk | 12:32 AM | Comments (0)