This morning, I woke up and spent a few hours exploring Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Despite the post-covid, post-George Floyd struggles of the city, I'm deeply enjoying the beauty all around and the insights I've been experiencing being in my new hometown. In fact, it's been quite fascinating to hear from Minneapolis locals and neighbors about their perspectives of the city.
Construction at the Lake Harriet Bandshell Park
Being in a totally different environment, I feel such a creative call to reinvent myself, and the values and identities that feel authentic to where I'm at in my life right now. I also feel humbled by how adaptable we are as humans. Just when we think something won't work out or we want things to be a certain way but it can't... life keeps showing up and reminding us that we can adjust to all types of circumstances, especially if we keep an open mind and find creative ways to solve our problems. And then we might find the very things we were resisting turned out to be not so bad after all!
Every day, I feel the waves of grief and emptiness from the life I've left behind in California. Instead of pushing down the feelings, I've been consciously working on feeling them fully, so they can continually be released when these feelings want to be expressed. Yet whenever I start feeling overwhelmed by these realities, I turn to mother nature. And she's abundant and alive here, with the dynamic seasonal changes, lakes, sunsets, clouds, and birds. I remind myself that nature is a powerful teacher when it comes to understanding change. Soon, I'll be exploring Minnesota outside of the urban areas. I'm really looking forward to that! For now, I'll keep living in the present moment... soaking in the poignancy of change.
The view from my balcony :)
Taken on my walk in my Uptown neighborhood
My dog Rosie at the Bde Maka Ska lake
The average human being thinks that happiness lies in stability, in tying up all the loose ends and having things under control. But actually, happiness lies in being able to relax with our true condition, which is basically fleeting, dynamic, fluid, not in any way solid, not in any way permanent. It's transient by nature. — Pema Chodron
An additional part of my process has been finding secluded spots for my dance sessions. This morning, I stumbled upon the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line near Harriet Lake and had a beautiful time dancing to some earthy songs. I recorded some snippets of my time there. Today's session was so good for my mind, body, and soul. Hope you enjoy!
