“Whatever lifts the corners of your mouth, trust that” – Rumi

I smile a lot. I can’t help myself. I smile when I pass someone on the street. I smile when I remember something long ago. I smile when I hear music. I smile sometimes even when I am mad or sad or frustrated. But mostly I smile a lot because there’s just a lot to smile about.

Today I burned about 1,000 calories watching the dancers and musicians of Ixtlahuacan: Ballet Folclorico , traditional dances of Mexico.

And then about 1,000 more calories just smiling. What a workout 🏋️

This is another one of those Debbie stories about how good things are just waiting to happen. We’ve had a lot going on the past few weeks so I had neglected to buy tickets for a performance I really hoped to see. I thought oh well, I expect it’s sold out by now. But the next day, just in case, I made myself walk down the street to the Cultural Arts Center…just because it’s literally just down the street, I like to walk, it’s next to the Wednesday Market. And it’s Wednesday!

Good enough! 🤞🤞🤞

The box office was closed, but a kind woman who was sweeping-up came over and pointed to a nearby building…”boletas para bailes tradicionales?” I asked. “Si” she smiled.

I walked over and found another kind woman who smiled at me. Expecting to hear there were no more tickets available, I asked for two (dubiously). She smiled even bigger and showed me the seating chart…the old-fashioned way…yellow marker on all the taken spots. There were 5 seats left. Only two that were together. And they were on the front row! Center!!!

So I plopped down the equivalent of $12 each and did a little hop and skip back home. Needless to say I was in Full Smile!

So here’s a glimpse of the delightful and energetic 2 and 1/2 hours of traditional dances and music of Mexico. Complete with children, older folks, piñatas, bull fights and yes-oh-my, our favorite mariachi 🪇

Hope you find yourself smiling!

AND FROM STEVE…

It is so hard sometimes to keep our busy-mind out of our conscious intentions. Imagine an interrupting device in your brain that says “That will not work. Be careful. It’s dangerous. You’ll fail. Don’t be stupid. It’s too expensive. You are delusional. Spirituality is nonsense.  Don’t pay attention to your intuitions. You can’t do it because you’re too old, and your wife/mother/friend won’t won’t like it.  Watch out for people who prey on your insecurities and weaknesses. 

Well, Paramhansa Yogananda speaks from centuries of study of the life force and the wisdom of Indian culture and experience. 

“The body is a dream, and death is a dream. Nothing can hurt you. Nothing can destroy you, understanding…and accepting this is the ultimate realization.

The man/woman that lives in that flow of life dies in the bosom of this hidden force of energy that surrounds us. It’s voice says “wake up, you’re just dreaming. Death has not touched you at all. This earth is not here to torture you, but to teach you your real nature. The soul cannot be drowned, stabbed, or shattered.