gypsy journey and a business idea

you cannot walk straight when the road bends ~ romany proverb

last night, i went to the americana and burlesque sideshow festival here in asheville, north carolina.

ashe-vegas, portland of the south, paris of the south . . . i've heard several glamorous descriptors for this little mountain town that curiously balances its traditional appalachian roots with a thriving arts and avant garde community.

asheville, perhaps the only town in the south where anything really does go -- even next to beautiful, wilting, shabby Nawlins, there is a palpable creative freedom here that is unmatched.

suddenly, i am a fish in water.

but not yet.

my path here was circuitous ~ i came by way of the outer banks, several countries and states, a 10 year marriage, various college degrees, backtracking, crippling self-doubt, suffering, and an unanswered question of grief.

i really didn't know who i was until i started dancing.

i started in my living room and danced to whatever made me feel good. i won't describe the very real isolation that my circumstances dictated at the time but suffice it to say i had little reason for hope.

through dance, one thing led to another and slowly, i clarified the principles that were important to me in 3 simple, bright words.

love, beauty, freedom.

and that's how i came to my business idea. of course, that too was an evolution in itself. and i'm not sure how it happened. i just kept dancing, hoping, working, and yes, thinking.

now dance class, performances, and festivals like absfest is "research" and i couldn't be more delighted about that.

follow your heart = follow whatever delights you.

that's freedom.

but learning what delights you and following it is a skill and discipline. this is what they never tell you.

follow your delight, darlings and stay curious about all the little winding inroads to beauty.

now, here, a pretty little something to delight you.