In the eve, I taught Yoga and Meditation to a packed room with only
enough space to sit cross-legged.
They had never done yoga and had
thought it was meditation. I had
them do what they could in the
space available and I watched their
faces grimacing with discomfort as
they struggled with what looked
like easy moves. They were very
surprised and when I did anything
that looked a bit hard, like downward dog, they gasped with amazement. This was the closest I’ve
ever come to being a rock star!
One evening, we had a dance party.
These girls brought their dancing
clothes and they did it up big time.
They dance like professionals, from
belly dancing to pop rock, and
when it comes to the slow songs,
they dance with each other as if
they are boys and girls in love. It’s
a very strange sight for Americans
to view, as we have become a na-
VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2
tion full of phobias about touching,
so afraid we will be accused of molestation or sexual harassment. As
we’ve all discovered, Macedonians
hold hands, put their arms around
each other, kiss, and show their
feelings in a way I have never experienced. By the time the week
ended, I felt I had been at a love
camp, and you know, I could get
used to it.
they would never forget me and
then gave me the chocolate and
kisses on both cheeks.
The following day, I took my afternoon break by resting on a wall outside the conference room, soaking
up the sun. By now, I was pretty
exhausted. I was just dozing off
when two of the youngest girls,
who are Muslim, came to me bearing gifts of chocolate. With their
sparkling dark eyes open wide and
staring at me, they said, “We could
not imagine having you as our
mom. Your daughters are very
lucky.” (Would someone write my
girls a letter, please!) They said
Namaste
It’s interesting how exhaustion can
evaporate in a moment like that. I
just wanted to scoop them up and
find a way to give them more opportunity for their future. Who
knows, maybe in some way, I did.
Marilyn Wheeler – MAK 9
Page 12