Loose Leaf Notes

I thought he was someone I knew, and he thought he knew me too.  After we separated from our overly familiar and becoming awkward hug, we realized we didn’t know each other.

He wasn’t who I thought he was, but after a good look I realized he looked like a family member, a cross between my brother Joey and my cousin Gerry. I took his picture for proof.

I couldn’t place the woman in the Yoga Jam Merchandise tent either, and then it hit me.  She looked like a blonde version of Wonder Woman!  She had never heard that before.

I recognized my Facebook friend Gayla, who lived in Floyd decades ago. She coined the phrase, “Conductor of the Love Train,” referring to me in my Yoga Jam hat, pictured here with Joe and his high school friend Greg, and Greg’s girlfriend Laura (a yoga teacher) on the right.

‘We only have one red light in Floyd and I’m praying they’ll be no more’ are words (I’m paraphrasing) from a song that my friend Starroot was practicing (with Sam on viola) for her Sunday performance.

I almost didn’t recognize Shamama without her tutu.

And I really appreciated the professional rock balancer who was able to balance these creek rocks so precariously. I apologize for the one that my friend Mara and I dislodged and couldn’t re-balance during a photo shoot at the very creek that Mara grew up swimming in. She staffed the Citizens Preserving Floyd County booth and is heading up a campaign to stop a gas pipeline that is proposed to come through Floyd. She also taught a creative writing class at the festival.

Phase Two in which Doris Gets her Oats: Saturday was so full that I was tired on Sunday and I had a blister from dancing to Luna Ray, Wild Life and MC Yogi the night before.  Going home to sleep was like cutting the umbilical cord and then trying to climb back into the womb the next day.

It rained a little on Sunday and the food booth guy I picked was out of avocado.

But I felt better after getting smudged with sage at my friend Katherine’s Women’s Circle workshop.

The Floyd Yoga Jam festival really puts the Floyd in festival.  It was like old home week for the Floyd community.

There is always lots of love to spread around in Floyd, but if you add that to all the chanting, dancing and heart opening yogic practices done over a long weekend, you get the idea: At Yoga Jam it’s okay to hug a perfect stranger, along with those you already love.

I’m working on a story for this week’s local paper with a spread of different photos and feedback from Yoga Jam attendees.  In the meantime, check out the above fantastic video clip of MC Yogi’s Saturday night main stage performance. I so love a good light show.

And here’s a clip of one of my favorite local bands to dance to that also played Saturday night, Wild Life, and who caused me to way the next day, “Thanks for the dance blisters, guys.”

_____Our World Tuesday