They're Following Their Dharma

If you could do anything with your life and know you would succeed you would do __________________. My problem right now is I'm not even sure what that is. I know it would in some way involve having horses again. I would be writing. I would be happy. How to put that together into something.... I'm not sure.

This weekend I have been so incredibly fortunate to spend time with people who are living their dharma so fully it's practically oozing out of them.

Friday night we went and saw Bernadette Peters in concert at the Salem Civic Center. When I was young I remember Bernadette Peters being around a lot. For example she was on the Muppets, and I think you know you had really made it in the 70/80s when you were on the Muppet Show. I remembered she had a great voice and I enjoyed watching and listening to her but I don't remember much else. So, I was excited to go listen to her, but it was not like when I was 16 and went and saw Billy Idol.

I was surprised to find we not only were seated at a table on the floor, but we had a table that was in the front row and in the center of that row. Best seats in the house! She came out to start her show and I was impressed with how teeny tiny she was and what awesome shape she was in. Not even 'oh, she looks incredible for her age'. Rather, "wow! She looks incredible for any age!" I was impressed.

Then she started singing. What pipes! I thought getting the chills from listening to someone sing was just something people said to try and impress you. But, it really happens. She was so incredibly moving. It touched me right to the depths of my soul. The emotion that she brought to her songs was heart touching.

After the concert we were lucky enough to go backstage and meet her. Honestly, for me this was a huge test of my anxiety. I was stressed just of the thought of having a panic attack when I met her. But, I survived it and I think the fact that I made myself do something so incredibly far out of my comfort zone made me feel a little stronger in the dance I'm doing with my anxiety. 

Here we are with her. The picture is terrible, but hopefully a better one will be coming soon. It was an honour to be in the presence of someone who is so incredibly talented, and also strong and brave enough to be living their dharma.

This afternoon (Sunday), Jenna and I went to the Chocolate Festival at Hotel Roanoke which was yet another example of people living out their dharma. You could feel the vibe of it when you walked into the room. A group of such different people who were all doing the thing that made their soul sing. You could see it in their work too. Jenna and I fell in love with the chocolate treats from a French chef (quel suprise) who owns a bakery called Our Daily Bread - which we will have to be checking out in the near future.

They were giving out sample of little slices of some of their treats, but somehow Jenna scored an entire raspberry/chocolate heart (it's the first row of red on the table). The entire time we were there, Jenna kept saying it was her absolute favorite. At the end of our time there (aka the time when our tummies started to hurt from chocolate overdose and we knew we needed to come home and lie in a chocolate coma), we had to go back to the chef and tell him how much we had enjoyed their treats. 

It was easy to tell from talking with him how much he loved what he was doing. Simply being around someone who is so happy and so engaged in living a life they love is a heart happy activity. 

What a blessed weekend.