Madison Weekend...
Last weekend I made my first visit to Madison, WI. It was no less quaint, liberal or filled with magical people than I had been promised and I developed a little bit of a crush on the place. It was wonderful to see old friends (who spoiled me), to make new ones and to wallow in spring...
The trip started with a quick, 3-hr Megabus ride which was made quicker by juicy conversation. From there, we were picked up by E who drove us to her home and invited us to walk in a nearby park on Lake Mendota. It was a stunning day and marked my very first walk of the season sans coat. The liberation was exhilarating, I tell you.
Later we were joined by D for more lake-side walks (this time meeting Lake Monona) as bluebells, hyacinth and daffodils popped out here and there to flirt with us. We stopped for some tasty Thai food which we shared al fresco (a particular love of mine) back at E's. Though it got a bit chilly towards the end, we sat out for hours as the birds sang the sun down and heralded an impressive spread of stars (more impressive than in light-polluted Chicago anyway). Coffee, orange liquor, blankets and lap dogs kept us warm as we shared thoughts on spirituality, art, green living and various stuff that made us giggle. It was a bliss.
Saturday and Sunday I got to share Feri work and community, including a impactful tool about self-acceptance and body image created by feri_hearted. It's funny how life works given that an interaction from my birthday week has had me struggling with those issues more strongly than is usual...it's nice when things come just at the right moment.
Other highlights of the weekend included soaking in Sheela-na-gig (M's hot tub) under the stars, a few stops at the lovely coffee shop Mother Fools (where they serve organic, fair trade coffee that is quite delicious), eating pizza with beets on it (YAY beets!) and laughing/dancing/singing with beloved friends.
Speaking of dancing, on Sunday I was blown away by Madtown Ecstatic Dance and I have to say, if you live in or near Madison, I cannot recommend this enough. The group meets in a yoga studio that is open, bright and sunny. They stretch, share a personal intention for the dance and then proceed to get down for an hour. The music was AMAZING and I lost myself to the joy of it. It was fun to note that I have much more energy and strength than in the past (due to non-smoking and the gym); sweat soaked and grinning, I felt younger than I have in years. My worries fell away for a while and I carried that bit of ecstasy with me throughout the day...even now the thought of it makes me smile.
Much thanks to the lovely folks in Madison who hosted and cared for me...you Mad beings are quite exceptional.
The trip started with a quick, 3-hr Megabus ride which was made quicker by juicy conversation. From there, we were picked up by E who drove us to her home and invited us to walk in a nearby park on Lake Mendota. It was a stunning day and marked my very first walk of the season sans coat. The liberation was exhilarating, I tell you.
Later we were joined by D for more lake-side walks (this time meeting Lake Monona) as bluebells, hyacinth and daffodils popped out here and there to flirt with us. We stopped for some tasty Thai food which we shared al fresco (a particular love of mine) back at E's. Though it got a bit chilly towards the end, we sat out for hours as the birds sang the sun down and heralded an impressive spread of stars (more impressive than in light-polluted Chicago anyway). Coffee, orange liquor, blankets and lap dogs kept us warm as we shared thoughts on spirituality, art, green living and various stuff that made us giggle. It was a bliss.
Saturday and Sunday I got to share Feri work and community, including a impactful tool about self-acceptance and body image created by feri_hearted. It's funny how life works given that an interaction from my birthday week has had me struggling with those issues more strongly than is usual...it's nice when things come just at the right moment.
Other highlights of the weekend included soaking in Sheela-na-gig (M's hot tub) under the stars, a few stops at the lovely coffee shop Mother Fools (where they serve organic, fair trade coffee that is quite delicious), eating pizza with beets on it (YAY beets!) and laughing/dancing/singing with beloved friends.
Speaking of dancing, on Sunday I was blown away by Madtown Ecstatic Dance and I have to say, if you live in or near Madison, I cannot recommend this enough. The group meets in a yoga studio that is open, bright and sunny. They stretch, share a personal intention for the dance and then proceed to get down for an hour. The music was AMAZING and I lost myself to the joy of it. It was fun to note that I have much more energy and strength than in the past (due to non-smoking and the gym); sweat soaked and grinning, I felt younger than I have in years. My worries fell away for a while and I carried that bit of ecstasy with me throughout the day...even now the thought of it makes me smile.
Much thanks to the lovely folks in Madison who hosted and cared for me...you Mad beings are quite exceptional.