Text messsaging

I rely, every day, on this form of communication.  I was so resistant to obtaining a phone.  I was unwilling to be available to people at all times.  I remember being indignant.  Why should I be available at all times?  I liked my independence and people leaving messages on the answering machine.  Yes, I do know what that is.  

Then, Brian died.  Suddenly, I was traveling, solo (more frequently) and kept hearing the echo of my sister's voice in my head.  (Get a phone, dummy).  I need to know where you are, who you are with, that you aren't stuck in Utah (the JLo/Billy Bob Thorton Movie, U-Turn).  Michaela was adamant that I was in communicado.  I bought a phone to appease my sister.  

I began dating this man who understood my need for communication.  I had been involved with a man, prior, who I always made excuses for.  He would drop off the face of the earth and I would make excuses for him.  Looking back, it was like I was walking in the Sahara Desert.  My crazy, ultimately, did not line up with his crazy.  He would never be able to fulfill my love of communication.   I do not regret that love and relationship. Ultimately, we traveled well, ate well, drank well.  We hurt each other in ways that I didn't understand. He could never be the man that I wanted him to be.  He enjoyed being the Mayor of his stretch of community.  I only wish we could have finished on better terms.  Isn't that what second loves teach us?  He was an incredible lesson.  I do not regret that that.  I wish him the best.  

Currently, I am involved with someone I did not ever imagine would transpire.   Older, wiser, kind.... he understands me in ways that others have not.    He calls.  He texts.  He listens.

He would text me when he woke.  Call me back if I butt-dialed.  Text me, daily, to say good night.  It has been nonstop for over a year.  I am reliant on it.  

So, when that system breaks down, I implode.  I re-examine the last text I receive from him.  Some silly text about my boobs.  Typically, he is observant.  Engaging in making me feel tremendous.  Truly, he is an incredible man.  

I call him.  I text him.  I wait.  When he doesn't respond. I am at a loss.  I try to be positive.  I reach out to his friends.  Hopeful.  His car isn't at his house.  Promising news.

But then he isn't at work.  It doesn't track.  Still no communication from the person that texts me, at least, 50 times a day.  Seriously, I have forced myself to delete texts to clear up space on my phone.  27.000 texts deleted in a year.  Is that normal?

He is safe.  At home.  I am giving him space to figure out his next chapter.  Irritated, at times.  Not lying. I became reliant on the constant back and forth.  I miss my sparring partner.

Upcoming Detox to Retox Yoga Session

Next Tuesday.  6 pm.  Join me for a mixed level flow for a sixty-minute session.  Followed by light snacks--I see a Mediterranean dip making an appearance--and wine and tequila.  

The beauty of this experience is that it combines movement, breathwork and then the opportunity to build community.  Recently, I spoke with a new friend in Denver about her thoughts on yoga in Denver (specifically).  Every city that I have practiced in offers a unique style of yoga.  In Phoenix (which I loved) it was power driven.  Santa Fe more spiritual.  I stumbled upon an amazing studio in Minneapolis which I had not anticipated.  I have enjoyed yoga in multiple cities in Texas, Nashville, D.C. and abroad.  For the most part I have been very happy with what I have experienced.  I always loved the community in Phoenix.  

There are studios in Denver that were more spiritual and others that were more donation based.  And then there is a huge franchise of studios that is available in Colorado and other states.  I like there is an array of studios available.  Yet, the community feels a little fractured.  I have not actually attended a studio since the pandemic.  One of the studios that I did attend often has decreased the yoga presence.  They no longer have an audience since the pandemic.

This woman mentioned that she had yet to find a studio to call home in Denver.  I invited her to my Saturday morning city park session, and she came.  It was awesome!  Afterwards she thanked me for including her and introducing my community.

Community is something we all are hoping to build.  That truly what teaching yoga is to me.  Sharing my love of yoga and connecting people.  I love it.

Please consider joining Tuesday!  My email is available on the flier.  It is a fun yoga event.  

Celebrating my new class at a studio

 

Announcing a new group class at the Denver Capitol Hill Jazzercise Studio.  It is located 28th and Madison in Denver.  Ample parking.  Sweet vibes and opportunity to attend a yoga class.  Why not?  When is the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone and tried something new?  I intend to check out one of the jazzercise classes soon.  I want to be supportive of that community as well.

I will continue to put up fliers, post on social media and believe in my desire to share yoga with people.  Last weekend was a wash.  I had tried to host a session on Saturday at City Park on Saturday.  Rain crushed that idea and I rescheduled to Sunday and woke up to more rain.  I do love that it isn't hot AF, yet.  I have been enjoying sporting hoodies at time in late May.  

I have a yoga park session arranged in Santa Fe on 6/19.  Ft. Marcy Park for an afternoon session.  I hope to offer a class in Santa Fe, monthly, thru October.  Denver will have a few classes during the month, offered bi-weekly.  City Park Sessions on Saturdays and the Detox to Retox class.  Potentially offering two of those as the summer continues. I am conflicted.  My life is in Denver, but I am enticed by my relationship in Santa Fe.  Thankfully, Tom is a patient man.  He is supportive and knows that I have a life up in Denver.  And a thriving yoga business.  Plus, there is the Thai massage place, Korean Spa and other spots that I frequent.

Not going to lie.... Santa Fe has a lot to offer, too.  Tom is there. I have some yoga clients and opportunity.  The best dumplings can be found there at Dumpling Cafe.  I try to live at La Choza when I am in town.  One visit, if not two.  I love the posole, green chile and salsa.  So many amazing breakfast burritos--El Chile Torreador, Alicia's, Counter Culture, Tune Up, Santa Fe Baking, Horseman's Haven.  I love the breakfast burrito factor.   Did I mention that Tom is there?  😏

The spas are spectacular.  Ojo Caliente, 10,000 Waves, Jemez Springs.  Makes me so happy to soak and focus on self-care.  In the meantime, I am ecstatic to be in Denver to cultivate more friendships and yoga.  Connecting people and building community.  

If you are interested in more information, please email me at tastelifeyoga@gmail.com.  

New neighborhoods and reflecting on Katrina

New month.  New opportunities and neighborhoods.  I found a new studio space about a mile and a half north of me.  I have driven through that neighborhood and even stayed at an airbnb over there.  Actually, it is one of my favorite rentals in Denver.  They offer a barrel sauna and a hot tub.  Talk about speaking my love language.  Self-care in a few different forms.

I drove over and put up a few fliers in the neighborhood.  There is a coffee shop/rotating tap room on the corner of York and 28th that I have driven by but not stopped into.  Until today.  I returned home after picking up more fliers for the donation class on Tuesday mornings at the studio and walked over to the coffee shop.  It was perfect.  About twenty-five minutes since I cut through City Park.  I chilled while absorbing some of the vibes of the spot.  Definitely neighborhood folks and a few tourists.  People were friendly and imbibing a mix of coffee and beer.  

I have been deep diving into Hurricane Katrina.  I have always loved New Orleans from my first visit in 1998.  I remember finishing my sociology midterm and heading out to Mardi Gras.  Sarah and I drove down and arrived in Baton Rouge the next day.  I had relatives that lived there from our exchange student, Vino.  Vino is Malaysian and quite a few of his cousins had moved to Baton Rouge.  Three of his cousins hosted us.  The first house we were set to stay in had cats and Sarah is deathly allergic to cats.  Thankfully, one of his uncles stepped in and offered to let us stay at their home.  Their only request was that we would have to participate in karaoke.  They had a machine and a big screen tv.  I rarely participate and Sarah is tone deaf.  Still, she sang Desperado if I remember correctly.  

We headed to NOLA the next day without a plan. We were young and determined to celebrate Mardi Gras.  We convinced ourselves that we would sleep in her truck or find somewhere to crash for the night.  We would be safe amongst the hundreds of tourists partying in the city.  Our only concern was getting beads and having fun.  Sarah's aunt always booked a room at the Sheraton on Canal Street.  She lived in Texas but always went to Mardi Gras.  Eventually after lecturing us on our naivety, she offered to let us stay on her hotel floor.  She did let us know that it would cost her $50 an armband.  It always made me laugh knowing that Vino's family had no problem accommodating the allergies of Sarah and moved us with no resistance.

At any rate, we made it through that celebration and returned the following year with another trio of friends.  We arranged to stay in Metarie and take a cab to and from.  Again, we had a fantastic time.  Checking out the French Quarter, Cafe Du Monde, Jackson Square.  I cannot speak to the food since we were young, and the majority of restaurants were packed with other inebriated tourists trying to celebrate the debauchery.  I remember eating crawfish and the hurricanes at Pat O'Brien's.  We mostly stayed on Bourbon Street.

In 2004 or 05, I flew to the city with Sara Jo.  I convinced her that we should have a proper trip.  Stay in the Garden District and spend time in the quarter and Marigny.  I kept hearing about great food and bars outside of the quarter.  We took the trolley car until it broke down.  I looked at the map wrong and headed away from the Quarter towards Tulane.  In my defense, my ear wouldn't pop, and I was having difficulty hearing.  I told Sara she should never rely on my sense of direction.

Dined at Muriel's, had beers at D.B.A., Adolfo's and a few other spots in the financial district. It was my first-time perusing Magazine St.  I had a glass from the Bull Dog for a while.  I remember it breaking around the time that Brian died.  It is funny how we remember associations.  I think Sara still has hers.  It was my first time enjoying the restaurant scene.  We did find a few daq shacks (a must do in my opinion) and of course, found the Hotel Monteleone for a sazerac.  

My next trip was post Katrina on a cross country road trip.  I was with two friends from Arizona.  I agreed to meet them in Florida if we stopped in New Orleans for one night.  They hated it.  She couldn't believe all of the visible destruction.  She was completely uncomfortable walking around the Quarter and the Marigny.  I think had I been agreeable we would have left in the middle of the night.  I insisted on going to Cafe Du Monde, Lafitte's, Hotel Monteleone and we dined at Adolfo's.  In hindsight, I should have known better.  These friends were not open to exploring cities.  They prefer spending time in the safety of their bubble.

Since then, I have been back on three other occasions.  Celebrated my 40th birthday with 5 of my girlfriends there.  I have had some of the best meals of my life in New Orleans.  Commander's Palace, Compare Lepin, Revolution, Parkside Po'Boy's, Arnaud's, Galatoires's, Seaworthy.  So many other local spots that always offered delicious fare.  Perhaps not during Mardi Gras when I was 21.  Completely different experience, lol.  And I still have not attended Jazz Fest.

After watching Treme, again, I wanted to listen to podcasts about the aftermath.  I am a David Simon fan.  It took me awhile to get into the Wire but once I did, I couldn't stop watching it.  I have watched the Deuce, We Own This City, The Plot Against America, Show me a Hero and Treme.  Treme was similar to the Wire.  It took me a minute to get into the music.  It is a beautiful series with fantastic character development.  I rewatched it recently and found myself wanting more information about the hurricane, aftermath, how NOLA got to where it is at now.  

I remember waking up at a bed and breakfast in Denver on August 29th to the news of the hurricane.  Brian and I had celebrated our 3rd anniversary.  There was this amazing bed and breakfast in Denver that felt like you were in a different city in spite of it being about a half mile from my apartment.  The bed and breakfast didn't offer t.v.'s.  So, we would entertain ourselves listening to a.m. radio.  Prime baseball time and there was news about the hurricane.  

I remember watching the people at the Superdome, flooded streets and chaos.  So much chaos and disconnects.  I was unaware of the majority of the rest of it.  It was no longer about the trauma that they had experienced since life continued.  What happened to the displaced people and how the city rebuilt.  Floodlines, and a handful of other podcasts have helped fill in the blanks.  I forgot about the supposed looting and was unaware of the vigilante squads.  The vigilante aspect is appalling.  People were trying to find supplies.  Water. Food. Shelter.  Don't we all deserve these basic needs when disaster strikes?  Plus the heat, lack of electricity and apathy.  I am still trying to wrap my mind around how we as a country felt so indifferent to our people.  

I will continue my deep dive.  I have found hope and the city continues to thrive, celebrate it's heritage/music/food/culture.  Next time you visit, get out of the Quarter and explore the Bywater, Marigny, Treme.  Support local businesses and musicians.  It is a beautiful city.  Full of history, culture and celebration.  I remember a second line coming down near us as we dined at Compare Lepin.  My friend, the Goddess, jumped up on our table and danced.  The owner was thrilled that we were participating in the beauty of the tradition.