Yesterday I went to the park after work to stretch on the mat. A whiff of marihuana came to me from a couple who were sitting nearby, and I overheard the guy say something about a time when he was smoked, I tried to overhear the conversation but the girl kept interrupting and so I missed it.
I approached the couple to ask the guy if I could get the last drag of his joint, to which he replied it was not a joint, it was tobacco and the smell came from somewhere else. I thanked them and I was about to leave when I turned back and said "excuse me, you told a story about smoking but I didn't want to eavesdrop, can you tell it to me?" and he laughed, the story was simple: one time he was smoked and he drove his bike under the Arch of Triumph located in Barcelona and he felt nice, and now, since it was on his way to work, he drives under it every time.
I was ecstatic: "I make the same route every day and I avoid it!", it felt as if that was meant to be, for him to tell me to ride my bike under the Arch. I chatted with them a bit, he was Venezuelan living in Spain for six years, she was a 10 day newcomer. So how do you know each other? They laughed: we are on our first tinder date. Oh gosh sorry I'm here interrupting! They left for the washroom and had some leftover strawberries, which were delicious.
I finished the strawberries and left for the arch of triumph. On my way there I saw a group of people dancing to salsa. A strong guy was dancing with a really attractive and fit asian lady. I looked closer: the guy was someone who plays the drums in the park on sunday, I knew him only from sight. He was dancing alone, at the edge of the group. A guy told him "what are you doing all the way over there?" and he shrugged. I took this as the cue that he was there for me.
I approached him and said "excuse me, you are the guy who plays the drums in the park right", he said yes. "Oh you guys are amazing, and you dance amazing". "Thanks". "Do you happen to know someone who teaches dancing? Or do you teach dancing yourself?", he said "I don't teach, but I know just the right person, he's great" and he gave me his number.
I went on to the arch, and in my haze I passed it without having the meditation I intended. I walked back, somewhat disappointed that I overshot my goal for my lack of presence. As I walked back the 10 meters that I had absent-mindedly walked by, I thought this was a good metaphor for my current situation: I'm right there at the gateway of success (whatever that means) and I walk past. My walk back is my current experience. I felt deep inside that I should drop everything which impedes success, being high included.
Under the arch, I thought the areas of my life where I want to succeed. "Choose two", I thought. Immediately two things came up: work and dance. Everything else must go into maintenance mode. If I put my yoga time into dancing, I will learn to dance. I've already "succeeded" at yoga, my practice should go into maintenance mode.
Then I thought: what can I do to advance in these two things, today? and the quote from the Tao Te Ching came up. _A journey of 10,000 miles starts with a single step. I understood I've already begun the journey by having an important work related conversation with René earlier in the day, and by inquiring about dancing lessons with the guy of the drums.
Today, as I wake up, the events seem like a dream. What was felt sensation becomes distant. Yet I look back and the experience is authentic. "If it seems like a dream, I shall write it down to re-experience it as happens when I write down my dreams", and here I am, writing down the experience. I want to succeed in these two areas of my life, and at some point I will decide they will go into maintenance mode, and I will succeed in more things.