It Started With Cake

Is it okay to be just a little bit excited? I'm wondering that today. I'm feeling just a little excitement today, although it's hard to allow myself to feel excitement cuz there is also the feeling that I am seriously stepping away from all of my responsibilities here. But...today, at least for just today, there is excitement.

It started with cake.

A pink cake.

With MY name on it!

Walking into the studio this morning as I have on many other mornings for the past two and a half years, feeling a little excited to see my 9:30 friends for one last class until Summer, I glanced up as I opened the door and there on the little table in the lobby was a lovely pink cake.

The cake was for me!

And it's not my birthday. Even on my birthday there isn't always cake. (That's a curse of having a Christmas Day birthday, but that, too, is another blog post for another day.)

So, at 9:15 this morning, I was already starting to cry. Just because of the cake.

Then I looked up and saw my 9:30 friends and teachers from the studio and they were happy to see me and of course, I had to cry just a little bit more.

Already.

I'm not even AT teacher training yet and I'm crying.

Fannie taught an amazing class today. It was full of funny stories, touching stories, great energy and laughter and music. She sang such a wonderful song during savasana. It's in my head today...Viva Las Vegas, special Bikram yoga lyrics added for special effect. She has the voice of an angel and I will remember that song for a long time to come. My only regret is that I didn't get a recording!!

It was lovely to see everyone after class as well and to receive so many well wishes. Again, I go back to what I discovered during my first yoga challenge...that this community of people is so supportive of each other and so accepting of each other...and everyone who walks in the door. It continues to amaze me. How lucky I feel to be able to become a bigger part of it.

I practiced some dialogue today with Jessica and got some good pointers as well as a great feeling that I'm gonna be okay with it. Coming from a teacher who has such obvious passion for the yoga and the "magic" that is the dialogue, that made me feel great. Although I had to stand up on the podium...which freaked me out a bit. But her encouraging words made me feel that maybe I would be able to memorize all that I needed to. Maybe I CAN do it after all.

I feel like I'm walking through these days and hours before departure and time is passing and it's not really registering. 1 day, 14 hours, 17 minutes, 3 seconds according to the countdown clock. I'm looking at myself going through the events of the day, checking off each one as they happen...knowing that "Now that that is over, I'm one step closer to actually going..." It seems like it's happening to someone else.

Watching Maggie eat a piece of that cake today, seeing the gleam in her eyes as she savored every bite and smiled, listening to me talk about my "bon voyage class" and try to explain to her who Elvis was...made me smile. She was most curious to know what Miss Jessica thought about my presentation of Half Moon, which Maggie has been helping me to memorize. She was glad to hear that I got a "good report" from my teacher.

And now, sitting in my quiet house and listening to my dogs breathing on the sofa beside me, knowing that it's my last bit of alone time for a long while, I'm just feeling content. And a little bit happy. A little bit sad. A little bit lucky. A little bit scared. What a great day.

And it all started with a lovely pink cake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Knbh7TkX6A