Paulette Rees-Denis's Blog, page 61
January 5, 2011
Preparation for the day…
How does your day begin?
sleepy pups
A whirlwind? A rush? A moment of quiet?
I love to start my day early, before the rest of my world awakens. That would be husband, dogs, goats, chickens, and a cat! I set my alarm, but usually don't need it, to be able to have even just a few quiet moments of "me" time, to write, scrapbook, practice yoga, enjoy a cup of coffee with candles lit, make notes for the day, cook, or whatever, before I take the dogs for a walk and begin the farm chores, before I leave for the Cultivator. I love it. And then I can conquer the world, or at least the day.
Today is a full day, so it is necessary for me to start this way. When I get to the shop, I have a delicious lunches to get started, a wonderful soup– wild rice, mushroom, and spinach–along with spring rolls, salad, hummus, and herbed garlic bread, the regular shop opening duties. I so love to cook (and eat), and I enjoy watching our customers eat with smile on their faces because the food is tasty, and healthy!
And after work I start my new 2011 session of yoga classes, which I am excited to begin again, anew for the year, with several new students and returning ones too.
I love teaching my own style of yoga and movement, based on my classes of bellydance and strengthening from the last 25 years. It always feels good to me to stretch and workout, as much as it does to teach others about movement, body awareness, and food!
I am blessed….
December 31, 2010
almost 2011!
Alright my friends, the count down for 2010 and our transition into 2011 is here. What will you do today?
Here is is very icy, and I love how the ground glitters with the white coverage of the frost. So beautiful, and until you start to walk on the frozen ground, it is very quiet, then the footsteps add crunch to the morning stillness. No way to walk through the woods and not be heard!
My day is full of cooking and planning, for our wine tasting celebration tonight at my shop, the Cultivator, and for our New Year's Early Farmhouse Supper coming up on Sunday. My mother and sister are flying in tomorrow, and my brother will join us, along with several good friends, to eat, drink, and play music together for the new year! Now that's a lovely way to bring in the next year!
This dance year comes to a close. It has been such a full year, of travel, teaching, injuries, and always more changes. From the big picture of dance to the individual stories. I am so proud of my students, all the hard-dancing women who continue to study and move forward to achieve their dance dreams. I am honored to have been a part of those visions, changes, goals, and I am always the proud mama.
Now this new year is a time for myself, time to heal some of my injuries, time to stop, time to take care of my personal visions and dreams. I have had to cancel some of my workshops for next year due to my shoulder injury, but it also means I will be focusing on myself, a sabbatical from the touring and teaching and giving and sharing. I will miss it because I love it. But one must not give so much they are then depleted themselves. And I have come to that place in my dance life. So time to reflect, but also to let the future unfold in it's own way for me. I am excited.
Dream Big, was my theme for next month's D-Quad, our writer's forum, that came out in December's enewsletter, and I have gotten some great responses. I will be sharing those with you as we move on…
In the meantime,
I wish you all a splendid New Year, and yes, Bloom and Dream Big…
December 26, 2010
The 2nd Volume of A Tribal Dancer's Anthology is here…
A Tribal Dancer's Anthology cover
cover art by Tracy Carlton…beautiful!
A Tribal Dancer's Anthology Volume 2 is here…
Delicious Divas Dancing Dreams
– a PDF download
D-Quad 2009-2010
Volume 2, only $4.00, just in time to be inspired for the New Year!
thoughtful words about dance and life…available as PDF download, easy to purchase and inspiring to read!
You can paypal directly to
dance@gypsycaravan.us
with your email address,
and we will send you the PDF format! easy…
And you can still get Volume One, 2008-2009
a beautiful collection of dancer's words—evocative poems, touching stories, personal thoughts about the dance—available as PDF download, easy to purchase and inspiring to read!
only $6.00…
December 20, 2010
almost the shortest day…
Doesn't it always go so fast? the lunch break, the day, the week, the month, and now the year? This year has been about me living more in the moment instead of projecting forward, and yes, it still goes by fast! But I"m learnng, and enjoying, and still struggling, but this is my life! and I do love it…
I haven't been blogging like I used to, that is one of my, well, not regrets, just not quite what I expected. My writing has taken a bit of a back seat, with opening the Cultivator General Store this last April, among the bits and pieces of dance, farm life, and travel, and I miss it!
so that is one of my thoughts for the new year, to write—about dance, farm life, food and wine, whatever else rears it's head— and to blog and to teach more writing (which I"ve so enjoyed when I have done). Thoughts become things, a mantra, an idea, a dream come true…a good lesson from Mike Dooley, many thanks Mike!
so my lovely dancing friends and readers, let's move into the coming light together, shall we?
Happy solstice to you….
November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving…
to all my dancing friends…
may you be grateful, graceful, and full of life and love…
many thanks to you for being part of this great community!
from a snowy, icey, little farmette in the hills…
October 31, 2010
some more TribO
the all star tribal band!
samantha and paulette
p and the girls in pink tiaras!
just a few more photos of that fab weekend. Reminds me a lot of my old festival, Tribal Quest NorthWest, that ran for seven years. My goal was to bring the tribes together also, in one action packed five days of shows, classes, and festive parties!
Onca has succeeded!
a new four week class tribal bellydance in Clatksanie!
Woo hoo, alright my friends…
You asked and let's do it! I've got a four week class scheduled for us, starting next week in Clatskanie!
Tribal Bellydance with a yoga workout, all combined into one fabulous night! Thursday nights,
at the Blue Nutria in Clatskanie, 6:45-8:15 pm.
That's right a 1 1/2 hour class, four classes, Nov. 4, Nov. 11, Nov. 18, (not Thanksgiving night), and Dec.2nd!
$40 for the four weeks, or $12 drop-in for an hour and a half class… Interested? Please email me back and let me know if you can make all of them, or even just a few… Blue Nutria, 80 Steele St. (around the corner from the Cultivator!)
~ And the Wednesday morning yoga class continues. It is such a lovely class, thank you, and a great way to start the morning. You are all invited to drop in to that class too… Wednesday mornings, 8:30-9:30am
Start your day being refreshed and renewed in your spirit and your body… a delightful blend of yoga, stretching, toning, strengthening, and feeling good in your body!
October 25, 2010
Tribes and Seth
I love outstanding quotes, words to thnka bout, live by, or let go of, as what may work for you at that time….
Words from my man Seth, as in Seth Godin…
Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead.
The scarcity makes leadership valuable. If everyone tries to lead all the time, not much happens. It's discomfort that creates the leverage that makes leadership worthwhile.
In other words, if everyone could do it, they would, and it wouldn't be worth much.
It's uncomfortable to stand up in front of strangers.
It's uncomfortable to propose an idea that might fail.
It's uncomfortable to challenge the status quo.
It's uncomfortable to resist the urge to settle.
When you identify the discomfort, you've found the place where a leader is needed.
If you're not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it's almost certain you're not reaching your potential as a leader."
October 20, 2010
the Caravan Dance Collective at Ruby Oasis
ahhh, the lounging dancing beauties of the Caravan Dance Collective!
they performed in Vancouver for the Ruby Oasis…
and lounged so beautifully in their red splendor.
Caravan Dance Collective
Peggy
Gina
Karen
October 18, 2010
just a thought from Chris…
The way you deal with fear and uncertainty is to put things out in the open and do them regardless of anything else that comes your way. Do one thing a day that scares you. Get excited and change things.
Please check him out!
The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris 
Guillebeau
