Blythely Dancing

I thought I'd try something a bit different in my blog today, and start sharing some of the poetry I have written. Poems have gotten me through some of the most elated and most depressed points in my life, and have a magical way of distilling the spirit of a moment. It's a bit scary sharing such a vulnerable creation, but since the point of this blog is to be transparent and share my process and hopefully inspire others on their path, then it makes complete sense to share such works. I wrote this poem when I was starting out in my teaching credential program a couple years ago, by way of introduction to an important object that represents my path. Pointe Shoes For me it was pairs of pointe shoes, which fueled my teen ballerina life. Objects requiring my talent and passion. Doors to other dimensions, to taking flight. I traveled far on a quest to understand, Sought masters of the art. Strived and rose and sunk and soared, Endeavoring to play the part. They...

Today is Germany Unity Day, so it’s an important holiday in my new home. This commemorates the events of 30 years ago, within our lifetime, when East and West Germany were reunited. Usually I teach a couple of ballet classes on Thursday afternoons, but today I took it easy and thought I would also post this blog, the start of what could be a series about how I came to know this beautiful country. My history with Germany and German culture is actually pretty new. Back when we were in college and dating, my ex-husband visited friends who were studying abroad in Freiburg I believe it was, but I couldn’t join in at that time. He had a blast and I thought maybe we would go together someday. Myself, I studied abroad in Italy one summer, then subsequently travelled to other European countries, including France, the UK, Ireland. I’ve also greatly enjoyed other parts of the world I’ve had the privilege to explore: New Zealand and Peru. I first visited German just over a year ago, in July...