When morning comes, I am compelled to get outside and MOVE!! Earbuds on, iTunes cranked up loud, and the groove begins. I never know where it will take me, but I always know it will be good! Dancing outdoors, especially in a beautiful place, is one of life’s simplest and least expensive pleasures for me.
My friend Cecile, my spiritual North Star, tells me that it is the highest form of meditation, but only when it can be done as if no one is watching. I have practiced and honed this skill over the last 5 years. I have come to a place where I can freely dance anywhere, and within a few bars of an inspiring song, become one with the place, as if no one else exists.
I take pictures of some of the cool places I have danced, and when I see the picture, I am instantly transformed to that place and the feelings I felt in that moment. Favorites include the Charles Bridge in Prague, the duck pond and Market Square in Leipzig, the forest near Schloss Elmau, and of course I have my favorites in Seattle too like the Arboretum, the Sculpture Park, and the tennis court near my house.
Dancing is living for me. I dance in the kitchen when I am cooking, in the shower, and anywhere else I am inspired to by a good song.
Musical accompaniment happens one of two ways. Some days I want to control the dance so it starts out as “exercise” where I choose the songs I want to hear. I tend to get a better workout for my body these days, but the mind never reaches that special place. The days when I let iTunes choose the groove via “shuffle” are the days when the peace and serenity really flows. It is like the universe is transpiring to teach me what I need to learn, and I am totally in. I feel every millimeter of my body, from toes to head, and I am like a big Gumby – totally connected and in flow.
When my mind and body tire, I walk back home with a feeling of lightness and gratitude that lasts the entire day. Good things come, and difficult things deflect like I really am made of rubber. If there is one thing that I hope to teach my children, it is that they find their own brand of “meditation.”  The world is a beautiful place when I approach it from a calm and peaceful state of being. Every flower is noticed, every pavement crack looks like art, and every person is good and loving.
Dancing at Schloss Döben is especially joyful. There are several really special places. I feel the history and get a sense of both the good feelings and the conflict. The balcony overlooking the river and the valley below, with all of its changes in seasons and weather, is a great place to embrace the world. It is not always perfect, but it is still perfect just as it is.
Schloss Mutzschen also possesses this peacefulness and serenity, but the view and the impact is different. Where Döben is outward facing, my sense is that MotoSoul is inward facing. Reflections in the lake. Security in the surrounds of the trees and the park. Connection to the outdoors and to nature.
When I think about MotoSoul, it goes deep. The riders I know are all deep, sensitive beings. Like Ted Simon’s Jupiter’s Travels, or Neil Peart’s Ghost Rider, we ride to understand. To think. To dream. To love. To live. Schloss Mutzschen is a place where all of that can be shared, instead of being a solitary adventure. I envision epic talks around the campfire, or at the bar, that will change people’s lives.
Dare to dream. Create a place for inspiration. Provide a place where it is safe to be all of you!!