Capoeira has captured me by the horns!

Check this out.
Dancing...check!
Drumming...check!
Acrobatics...check!
Killer physical work out...double check!
Challenging, beautiful, fun, difficult,inspiring, and a meritage of all things I really love to do. Did I mention I love it? LOVE.
I know things tend to stir my interest and then I go head first into it..whatever "it" is that I feel passionate about. Then it generally loses some appeal and I get bored. But the whole thing makes me head over heels excited..literally. My second session was yesterday and I spent half the day upside down or twisted into some kind of wonderful stretchy sproingy contortion. Dude.
Bruno took me to the top of La Jolla at Soledad Park and we made use of the springy grass and how flat it was. Think of a nice flat plateau with a 360 degree view of the ocean, mountains, and city creeping through the hills. So beautiful.
The workout consisted of a lot of stretching and warming up and getting the rhythm of the base of it down...not sure if this is spelled correctly but "ginga" (think szhing-gah). It is brazilian and african in origin, but the steps and combinations are all in Portuguese. So not only am I learning different beats, languages, moves...I feel like I am learning to be more open to not knowing. It makes me thirsty. A little shy, too. I want to know everything about it and especially want to pick up the language. I feel a little uncoordinated and bashful, but it is good to get over that stuff and he is really patient when I feel flustered. "I know just how you feel right now, don't worry. Try it like this." He is a good teacher and a wonderful person to be around. Seeing how fit and agile he is inspires me to be that good. He's got a 10 year head start....hmm. Gotta really work at this.

When Bruno counts off during a drill it sounds so melodic and warm. I guess I have a craving to be more worldly and capable of interaction in a few languages. It is so spotty right now and I admire him for being able to navigate through so many worlds. It feels strange to be in a situation where I feel like a novice of EVERYTHING...humbling for sure. After we did the workout, we went all over and he showed me the Wind and Sea beach. The water was roaring over the reef, breaking right at the shore and further out as well. I charged in and felt the surge of the undercurrent with it's invisible aqua fingers dragging me south. I felt weak from the workout and staid pretty close to shore. The sand made a scooting sound when I shuffled my feet, and my skin absorbed the sun like a black stone draws heat. SO many simple feelings and yet it has taken me so many complex turns to find this way. I feel like I have returned to being real.
(Just in time to go to Vegas in two days...shit!)

After the beach I has some great Mexican health food and he showed me Sunset Cliffs in Ocean Beach. It looked like outerspace with sienna colored dust on top of golden sandstone cliffs. The ocean was meeting the wide open arms of the craggy earth and there was zero street noise, just the hissing of the ocean. Bruno had mentioned earlier that when the sea laps up to meet your feet and retreats with a little hiss it is saying hello to him. This cliff was saying more than hello, and it was really a stunning place.
Life feels so good right now, and such a change from even last month. I have replaced the partying with doing physically and mentally and spiritually stimulating things. I actually woke up at 8 am two days in a row without an alarm..HELLO! Amazing! Check.
Well, let's see. Aside from yesterday being a wonderful day, today I got to take Markala's puppy around town on my errands and baby Burton is so cute!! I love watching him for her. I look at how he interacts with the world...so open, friendly, excited to see and sniff new things and people. Not a judgment in the world about anyone. He brings so much joy to everyone he meets and it makes me want to be more like him...(without certain dog attributed of course! EW!) He did piss on the floor in excitement at the hair salon though. Oops. At least it was him and not me! Ha!
I hope you are well, light and love, Steph