Woodstock in Myrtle Beach
I woke up in Florence, SC this morning with a panicked mind. Before I even knew what was going on, I just felt that something was wrong. I sat there for a few seconds until it suddenly dawned on me that I was planning on getting up very early that morning to teach a Nia class in Myrtle Beach.
I had set my alarm for 5:00am since I like to give myself a leisurely two hours to get ready in the morning. I also pad my driving time so that I would arrive an hour early at the location if I hit no traffic or road construction. I quickly reached for my iPhone sitting on the floor by the electrical outlet it was plugged into and I was flooded with an incredible rush of adrenalin when I saw that it was 7:57am.
The drive from Florence to Myrtle Beach is about an 80 to 100 minutes. I could make it on time if all the conditions were with me and I got everything in the car instantly. Well, you should have seen how quickly I threw some clothes on and threw everything in the car. Poor River didn't even have time to stretch, I was moving so quickly.
I lost some time because I felt I had to stop and call the studio to let them know what was going on. Also, for whatever reason, the address for this studio is the ONLY one I didn't write in my log book, so I had to stop and look that up, too. Fortunately, Siri knew the address.
I will admit, I did not obey the speed limit on this leg of the trip. I was going as fast as I could safely go and passing people like a NASCAR driver. I could watch my ETA on the navigation system and it was putting me arriving at the studio only a few minutes after class start time (9:30am). So I was hell bent on shaving a few minutes off of my drive time.
Long story short, I hit some road construction. I was on a one-lane road at times, behind dutiful law-abiding drivers. I was stopped by a drawbridge. I had to park on the far end of the parking lot, on the opposite side of the building from the studio door.
Much to my delight, there was a happy go lucky party atmosphere happening there. This was my first time in Myrtle Beach and it seems to have that sand-filled beach community feeling to it. I got a sense it was artistic and affluent and laid-back. So my being 6 minutes late to class was only a horrific offensive affront to the gods in my mind. To them it was fine to get started when I arrived. I handed over my phone while I set up River in his cage, and was teaching in about thirty seconds.
The class itself was spectacular. The group seemed to have a bit of reservation around all of the FreeDancing. Not that they were unwilling to participate, but that they didn't know what to do. This group could really have used my Nuts & Bolts of FreeDance Playshop. But, the FreeDancing in this routine just doesn't quit. Eventually, the group warmed up, and when they did, WOW the party started. By the end, we were all singing and dancing in a circle, clapping our hands and shedding some tears. It was a wild ride, not unlike my wild ride getting there.
After class, my host, Debbie took me to lunch with some of the students and the resident Black Belt, Mary. I had some awesome spicy steak tacos at Gordon Biersch. We chatted about, guess what, Nia and life in general. And dogs. River did very well. He got spooked a few times, but it was easy to calm him down. Mostly he just lied at my feet while we ate. For well over an hour.
And then it was time to get back on the road and head to Charlotte. For some reason, maybe because of the tone that was set this morning, or because it was a shorter drive than I'd been doing lately, I didn't stop at all. We got in the car and the next stop was at the Petco 2 miles from the motel, and then finally at Motel 6 in Charlotte.
I did laundry, and set the timer as I usually do. I was listening to some music and heard the slight sound of my phone vibrating. I thought it was a phone call, which I don't accept, so I just let it ring. It kept ringing. Eventually I realized it was the timer, but that the sound was turned off. I don't know how that happened, but that explains the mishap this morning. The phone was sitting on the carpet so I couldn't even hear it vibrate.
After the day I've had, I am just going to rest tonight and sleep in tomorrow. My class tomorrow is nearby and not until 4:00pm.
I had set my alarm for 5:00am since I like to give myself a leisurely two hours to get ready in the morning. I also pad my driving time so that I would arrive an hour early at the location if I hit no traffic or road construction. I quickly reached for my iPhone sitting on the floor by the electrical outlet it was plugged into and I was flooded with an incredible rush of adrenalin when I saw that it was 7:57am.
The drive from Florence to Myrtle Beach is about an 80 to 100 minutes. I could make it on time if all the conditions were with me and I got everything in the car instantly. Well, you should have seen how quickly I threw some clothes on and threw everything in the car. Poor River didn't even have time to stretch, I was moving so quickly.
I lost some time because I felt I had to stop and call the studio to let them know what was going on. Also, for whatever reason, the address for this studio is the ONLY one I didn't write in my log book, so I had to stop and look that up, too. Fortunately, Siri knew the address.
I will admit, I did not obey the speed limit on this leg of the trip. I was going as fast as I could safely go and passing people like a NASCAR driver. I could watch my ETA on the navigation system and it was putting me arriving at the studio only a few minutes after class start time (9:30am). So I was hell bent on shaving a few minutes off of my drive time.
Long story short, I hit some road construction. I was on a one-lane road at times, behind dutiful law-abiding drivers. I was stopped by a drawbridge. I had to park on the far end of the parking lot, on the opposite side of the building from the studio door.
Much to my delight, there was a happy go lucky party atmosphere happening there. This was my first time in Myrtle Beach and it seems to have that sand-filled beach community feeling to it. I got a sense it was artistic and affluent and laid-back. So my being 6 minutes late to class was only a horrific offensive affront to the gods in my mind. To them it was fine to get started when I arrived. I handed over my phone while I set up River in his cage, and was teaching in about thirty seconds.
The class itself was spectacular. The group seemed to have a bit of reservation around all of the FreeDancing. Not that they were unwilling to participate, but that they didn't know what to do. This group could really have used my Nuts & Bolts of FreeDance Playshop. But, the FreeDancing in this routine just doesn't quit. Eventually, the group warmed up, and when they did, WOW the party started. By the end, we were all singing and dancing in a circle, clapping our hands and shedding some tears. It was a wild ride, not unlike my wild ride getting there.
The Yoga in Common space was bustling with energy. Linda the owner loved River but respected the no petting rule. She wanted to engage him so badly, but played it cool. River did something to her that I'd never seen him do before. He sniffed at her and then put up a paw like he wanted to 'Shake" with her. She was standing up, so obviously he missed and it fell to the floor. He tried it twice. Later she gave him a tennis ball and he played with it for a while.
And then it was time to get back on the road and head to Charlotte. For some reason, maybe because of the tone that was set this morning, or because it was a shorter drive than I'd been doing lately, I didn't stop at all. We got in the car and the next stop was at the Petco 2 miles from the motel, and then finally at Motel 6 in Charlotte.
I did laundry, and set the timer as I usually do. I was listening to some music and heard the slight sound of my phone vibrating. I thought it was a phone call, which I don't accept, so I just let it ring. It kept ringing. Eventually I realized it was the timer, but that the sound was turned off. I don't know how that happened, but that explains the mishap this morning. The phone was sitting on the carpet so I couldn't even hear it vibrate.
After the day I've had, I am just going to rest tonight and sleep in tomorrow. My class tomorrow is nearby and not until 4:00pm.
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