Keep Calm... and Burning Down the House in Everyday Ramblings

The lilac garden yesterday at noon. It was gloomy and misty but that brings out the colors in the flowers.

Yesterday was the annual May Day celebration at the park nearby with all the kids and the May Pole and lots of ribbons and bells because the Morris Dancers come.

My former (much younger) boyfriend Angelboy got up as early as I usually do but in the Bay Area with his Morris Dancer colleagues and danced up the sun there yesterday.

He is such a great guy and I am so happy I broke up with him because he went on to have a full interesting life, an amazing son and well, lots of fun which includes, music, dancing, dressing up in period costumes and interesting travel.

We, being hip progressive mixed in with serious conservative elements Portland, had a big May Day march yesterday. For immigration rights, for the rights of workers…but then the Anarchists moved in.

It turned into a bit of a riot about a block and a half from the studio.

There was a helicopter and police in riot gear and burning trash cans and broken windows and young men with hoodies and bandanas on their faces and… one of my students who sent everyone a worried email saying don’t come downtown.

I was halfway to the studio when he sent that. When I got there another student was there worried that I wasn’t going to show up and listening to the booms and the foreboding sounds coming from nearby. She had been at the march earlier.

Much to my surprise and delight over the course of the next fifteen minutes 6 other students arrived. Keep calm and carry on and all that.

What was not a delight was that the cover to the thermostat in the studio had been completely removed and it was cold in there!

I went next door and they told me all the covers to their thermostats were missing and that the building owners had replaced a heater in the parking garage and it was a big mystery. They also had some lights out.

At least we had those.

We have a pile of blankets in the studio and I insisted everyone take one. We did a fairly vigorous practice for us and then wrapped up in our blankets and I took them through a calming, warming meditation that I hope was helpful. Then I also made sure that my somewhat fragile student I found sitting on the stoop when I arrived had a ride home.

All of us, no matter how much we dislike this tendency in ourselves as independent bootstrap puller upper Americans have moments where we are fragile. Vulnerable.

Young angry rioters don’t get that. They are consumed with the flame of righteous anger. And the Anarchists, who are terrorists, in the very traditional way, their aim is to disrupt, breakdown and engender fear, kind of like our current leader and his advisors (more like than not like) feel like they have right on their side don’t get that.

We need to get that! The rest of us. We must support and protect those of us who are vulnerable.

Oh my. I need to kick my soapbox aside and go have my hearing checked and get on with my tasks.