hoops and coops

the main reason i decided to stick around madison until sunday was to attend the hoop jam at the center for conscious living. there were also other events i wanted to attend, but this was the most attractive to me. the weather, dumping rain off and on for the first half of the day, led me to stay in and spend more time with the computer. this was good, though i was getting stiff and sore from sitting so much. i had come down with a cold and i wasn't sure whether staying inside was helping me get better if i was also spending so much time in front of the screen.
so i missed the ecstatic dance, and i didn't get out in time to stop by the potluck at the place where i'd worked on the cob oven... nor to check out the mysterious exciting happening that my friend periphery had told me happens at one end of state street. but by the time i headed out the rain had settled down to the lightest drizzle and i barely got wet on the way to the hoop jam!

there i had a wonderful time and worked hard at learning to move the hoop up to rotate around my chest and shoulders. i never got it up, but made some progress. sarah sparkles and some of the others gave me tips and encouragement. it was great to be among a group of people having fun and also working hard at improving their hooping skills. these ladies are very talented and amazing! another man showed up about half way through, so i want't the only guy in the room then. i was told that the hoop has been an important part of his recovery from injuries incurred in some accidents. i am beginning to see the great healing and consciousness-enhancing powers of dancing with this simple object.

after the hoop jam i went to see if i could join the folks at lothlorien coop house, where it had been suggested to me i might be able to 'crash'. by mistake i arrived one block away at another coop, part of the same group of cooperative houses, called ambrosia. there i was welcomed and fed dinner, even though they had already finished their gathering. i then hung out in the kitchen washing dishes and chatting for a bit.
when i went over to lothlorien i found a few people in the main floor common space. with one of them i got into conversation about my travels and he asked me a bunch of questions about my experience in this 'economy of generosity'. he has been interested in this kind of travel for a while. it was nice to relate to him in this way and be able to give him some encouragement that it is quite possible and in my experience a wonderfully enriching way to live.
before i left i had another good interaction with a girl who was sitting in the library journalling. i interrupted her to say 'good evening', feeling somehow compelled to connect. i told her i was glad she had this time and space to just sit and write in silence, because we often can't find it. i said i was about to head back and do a little meditation before bed. she remarked that she had just been writing about how she wants to meditate more... and so we got into a conversation about meditation and its purpose. i decided to cut our conversation short and proposed we close it with an OM. that was nice, and with a brief handhug we said farewell.