Piercings, Pain and Being Alive

I love Bjork and was watching some of her music videos the other day. Remember the beautiful love song, Pagan Poetry, that ends with a woman getting 6 piercings down her back so that she could have a "corset" laced up for her lover? Kind of a surprise ending.

It seems strange that someone would do that for someone they loved--or even for themselves. But there's something about pain, be it physical or emotional, that you miss when it's gone. There's something about the aliveness that you feel while in tension with pain, that makes it somehow bearable. There's something in that much aliveness that some friends with tats or piercings, say draws them back to get more. There's something in our crazy friends, or waaay-out there lovers, or even extreme adventures, that make us lean forward in fascination while poised to lurch backward in pain.

Hmmm. As I think about the barbs in my head, I wonder, "How alive can I feel without the pain?"
You? How does pain help you to feel more..

Great friend

after my near-death experience on the Elbow River, I called my friend best paddling pal, Susanne, and left her a voice mail at work. I think it was midnight when I left the message. Susanne called first thing the next morning. She asked questions. She was shocked. She empathized. And then she said the magic words, “I hope that this won’t keep you from doing what you love to do? Paddling is when you are most alive.” She continued, “When you, Jane, Ash and I paddle, we don’t take chances. We’re very safe.” What a brilliant thing to share! She totally understood me, what was essential to me--right then and for my future. Her words anchored me in the joy I feel on the water. If she hadn’t said that when she did, I might never have paddled again. I needed what Susanne said more than any of the sympathetic words I got from anyone else. Making sure that you have people in your life who “get” you, who understand your essence is crucial. They are champions of your spirit. They urge your spirit to overcome the body’s fear, and do what brings you most life. As we paddle through life, we need to choose our paddling partners carefully. More on this in the next entry.

Alchemistry

Snuggling into bed last night with the Alchemist, I reread where Coelho says, "The universe conspires to bring you what you want." I nodded, Turned off my light and smiled in the dark.

I had just enjoyed a weekend at Lake Louise celebrating a friend's birthday. People had flown from all over the world to be there, including some of my most beloved gal pals. As with big gatherings, it was impossible to get any one-on-one time where we could talk about our aches and triumphs. I longed for more intimate time/space with them to share.

On the final run of the final day, doesn't the chairlift stop! Suspended 5 metres off the ground with 3 of the best women I know, it took an hour for me/us to notice we were going nowhere. The sun hung high enough above the mountain that we had plenty of warmth for our bodies, our souls soaked up each others' stories. And if that wasn't enough of a gift, we got to ski down an empty mountain into the arms of others who loved us enough to wait 4 hours for our descent. What a feeling!