Radio

What a day yesterday! I don't think the moon was full, but it was sure bright in the sky. I wonder how much that contributed to the fullness of energy I felt all around me. The abundance of energy was there from the morning. When I finally sat down to write, I accomplished some tasks toward my cooking classes coming up in the fall, returned emails, and continued to enjoy the glorious weather.

In the back of my mind all day, I was anticipating a live, on-line radio seminar by one of my teachers, Denise Linn. She is a powerhouse of energy, empowering others to transform their lives, and my time with her is always so healing. The seminar is based on her 28-day Soul Coaching program, but instead, we're doing a 28-week program. Each month we focus on clearing various apsects of the self and our environment. It's a big clutter clearing that lasts 7 months.

She gave us some assignments for this first month, and one of them is to do something we've never done before. I sat there listening, wondering what I could do. I didn't know the answer would come later that night.

Immediately following Denise Linn's radio program, I left to pick up a yoga student. She is a 16 year old high school sophmore who has been studying yoga with us for 4 years now. She takes private lessons with us, and a couple months ago we were on the radio discussing yoga. Being on the radio is a blast - we both enjoyed it. So, she took it upon herself to get us a gig on another radio show through her connections at church.

This particular show focuses on promoting a healthy lifestyle, and it's facilitated by two men who clearly enjoy their work - the show is both humorous and intelligent. After discussing yoga for nearly half the show, they mentioned that the fair is coming up in town this weekend - a 4 day event. This particular fair is visited by thousands each year, and I mentioned I have never attended. The looks on their faces were priceless.

Fairs just don't do it for me. I don't eat junk food. I don't like rides (motion sickness). Crowds don't thrill me unless I'm in the city, and then, for some reason, I'm okay with it. So, the challenge was extended to me to go the fair - to give it a try. I said I would go if I could make another visit to the radio show. They agreed.

When I got home, I started thinking about my assignment from Denise Linn, and the challenge I was given by my new radio friends. The light bulb went on - going to the fair is something I've never done before. I will be out of my comfort zone, doing something I would rather not do, and have no interest in. This is perfecct.

Then I reflected some more. Italy, the home of my ancestors, is alive and vibrant with a sense of community that you can feel in the air. Celebrating with friends, family, and neighbors is at the heart of everyday life. Festivals are common in Italy. My mom has a picture of my grandfather as a young man participating in one of the feast days to the Virgin Mary.

Yes, clearly there are stark differences between the feast day celebrations in Italy which tend to be held with sacrednes and a country fair. However, there are some important similarities. Fairs honor American roots and celebrate the heartland. The same is true for Italy - feast day celebrations continue to be honored to this day keeping ancient Italian traditions alive. Whether in Italy or America, food, music, and community can be found, all of which make us feel connected to each other, and we need more of that in this world. While some of us prefer the Italian version, many love and enjoy the American version - fried twinkies and all.

My plan is to go to the fair on Friday. You can be sure my adventure at the fair will be well documented. In the end, perhaps the fair will be, yet, another source for connecting me to my ancestors.

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