Susan Senator

Do other people feel lucky this time of year? I look out the green-filled window, the trees outlined in early morning sunlight and I feel such a strong sense of wellbeing and possibility. There’s a mild, pleasant pressure in my middle which I believe is the physiological expression of anticipation. In other words: yay, spring!

Yesterday was a solidly wonderful day. People say, “When it rains, it pours,” and that is so true. Why is it that a day like that is filled with fun and happy surprises, and other days are just such drek? Randomness of the universe? I think that’s a pretty inefficient way to run things, myself. If I could advise God, I would tell Him/Her/* that he needs to step in every now and then and set things right, stick to his plan. But perhaps God is a Libra, and also experiences shifts and multiple points of view? The more I think about it, this must be the case, because of the utter beauty of the world, and also the utter chaos and flakiness. And of course, there is the delphinium, which is not only proof that God exists, but that * is deeply steeped in a knowledge of Beauty. (Note to readers: just because I, too, am a Libra, please don’t construe that I am becoming manic. It is only that I am most familiar with this sign, it being my own, and thus my construct of God would fit most easily with that, with what is in my own head. We all have to imagine God based on our own minds, to some degree.)

Enuf of dat! I ain’t no theologian, for God’s sake. I was merely trying to express how taken I am, year after year, with late May. Why is it so lovely? Why? What’s the Point? So I figure, the Point is, to make us gasp in delight every so often just that we are alive. We get to see this, we get to live this. Pity the Martians, who have to live on some reddish, rocky thing all year round. Sure, they think it’s beautiful. But we know they are wrong. And they are all Aries, by the way. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it is the opposite of Libra.

I have not flipped my lid, I am just sitting here drinking that coffee of mine, making myself laugh even before my eyes have de-puffed. I am happy for a few reasons, unrelated to the soft green light outside.

First of all, I had a long talk with Dad yesterday, one of our finest in a while, where he did his Dad thing and said stuff like, “This is a golden opportunity for Nat! Wow, how great for him! I’m jealous.” And “You guys — it almost doesn’t matter which ruins you see, which town you’re in — you are going to have the time of your life because it will be so different from what you always do!” And “You and Laura also didn’t want to do things; we just made you try them and then you were glad you did.” He made me laugh and smile and feel strong.

Second, I found an aide to go with Nat to his camp, one of our longtime sitters, a former teacher of his, a very dear girl (well, she is a woman, actually) who loves my kids, zits and all. She is excited to do this, and she will provide us with that extra level of support and that familiar tie to home for Nat.

Third, I taught a bellydance class for the first time. A friend of mine teaches in a local studio and she asked me to round up some friends to do intro to bellydance, so I did. Only three of them came, in the end, but those three were so into it! I had written up a lesson plan and burned a class CD, and so I was fully prepared. All I wanted to do was give them the joy of bellydance, the understanding that this is different from many things we have been exposed to because there is so much body acceptance involved, and a few basic moves. I brought hip scarves and veils and showed them some basic isolations and traveling steps, and also the principal of intro, middle, and end of a dance piece.

We had so much fun. We went out to dinner afterwards, to a local restaurant I have never been to, but have wanted to try. We had drinks and appetizers for dinner, and a really nice time. We were all in our bellydance clothes and even kept on our hipscarves, because they were so excited to be wearing them. There is something magical and empowering about tying one of those around your hips. You automatically feel like a different person, a dancer. Confident, strong, beautiful.

The owner of the studio then asked me to teach a series of classes next time! I am so excited about that. I have been studying this religiously for a year now, which doesn’t seem all that long for becoming a teacher, but maybe it is enough for conveying the most important aspects of Raks Sharki, bellydance: there is no right and wrong, only better form. Perhaps God, with all the inconsistencies and ups and downs and startling beauty in the Universe, is also a bellydancer.