Superhero of Love FUN: The Light Overcomes the Darkness!

"Behind Every Cloud is the Sun!"     

 

This was, shockingly, my first Holi festival.  Having been to India several times I can't get enough of anything Indian -- particularly their joyous festivals. This one is always around  my birthday, right at the beginning of Spring, and each year I have missed it.  Who wouldn't want to celebrate the triumph of light over dark?!  And, what sheer bliss to be covered in bright lucious colors! 

 

My friend and I arrived at the tail end of this festival.  We were two of only a few non-Indians and we were received with such love.  The color packets were all gone so a lovely woman with the hugest most lovely smile grabbed me by the shoulders rubbed water on my cheeks and then smushed her cheeks into mine so that she transferred color onto my face.  That was just the beginning of a day of love!

 

People came up to us from every direction with little bits of colored powder that they had left over.  In the end we got all the colors and looked fabulously festive.  Everyone was so generous and sweet and inclusive.  And, the kids were so playful, like this little one who chased me around with her water gun in those snazzy superhero sunglasses. 

 

 

Part of the fun is pouring water on each other to make the colors move, and to make your skin more accepting of even more color.  Her secret mission was to get me as waterlogged as possible.  She was hilarious!  I know she had a cape under that outfit!

We also had two superb dancers grab us and teach us all the right moves to the blasting Indian tunes.  It's just impossible to not have fun while doing Indian dancing!

So, if you want to celebrate the triumph of the light, get yourself to a Holi Festival next year.  They happen in Indian communities all over the U.S.  The largest, drawings 10's of 1000's is in South Fork, Utah.  Can you imagine the level of joy with that many people frolicking in one place.  A friend who has been said everyone is extremly polite too - even asking if you wish to have color thrown on you! 

Bottom line: this is a feel good holiday celebration if ever there was one.  If your heart needs a lift next spring, or you wish to mark the transition from winter to spring, google "holi festival [your town]" and see what you get!   You will be welcomed with open arms and love, I promise -- no matter where on this mighty planet you find yourself.

Namaste Superheroes!!!!

Superhero in Training

It's no mistake that in contemplating the idea of being a Superhero of Love I started training for a marathon.  Last week as I did one of my last long runs before Sunday's LA Marathon I was doing the long loop around my house which allows me a steep uphill in the first third of the run and an equally steep downhill on my way home.  That final descent is nothing short of exhilerating when I am loose and feeling good.  

As I did it last week I felt like I was flying and started thinking about Muybridge's study of whether all four hooves of a horse were in the air at once.  I started contemplating the percentage of time both my feet were in the air.  As I came down the hill it felt like they were mostly in the air. Of course they weren't but feeling like a superhero is just as good as being a superhero.

The LA Marathon sends you a short video of your crossing the finish line.  As I jogged over it (and past it, by the way, for no really good reason other than I think I thought it would make up for the times I had stopped to walk toward the end) the event M.C. screamed over the loud speaker "Superheroooooooooooooooo!"  It wasn't for me but it was a mighty cool synchronicity that I didn't catch that day.

On Marathon day my Facebook feed was also filled with images of supeheroes flying through the air from friends cheering me toward the finish.   I hadn't actually thought of marathons as a superhero feat, but now that I'm in touch with my own ability to "fly" and do something I had no clue how to do. I'm declaring this as part of my Superhero in Love training. 

Love and life give us seemingly insurmountable hills and require endurance of the heart, mind and soul, so any practice can make the next challenge a little easier.  Expanded heart and lung capacity for increased breath and love is always a good thing for a superhero.