Tuesday, November 4, 2014
I knew nothing about zombies except that a couple of really great mom’s that I know are zombies and go to events with their sons. My world is more about tutu’s and creative art. To each their own. A couple of months ago I agreed to do yoga for zombies at the first annual Haliburton Zombie Walk on Nov.1. I said yes without really thinking about what it would require or what I would do. As the walk day approached my inner grump, critic, slug was loudly saying to me “why did you agree to do this, you know nothing about zombies, zombies don’t do yoga – they are undead, this is going to be a bad experience for me and for the zombies.” But I didn’t give up or call in sick (even though I wanted to every single day for the week before). I just kept hoping and trusting that an idea would come to me and I would know how to contribute in a positive way to this event.
In a last minute desperate attempt to get motivated I went on line to learn about zombies (this was after Tammy Rae and Amy Brohm, both whom are zombies, had given me some ideas and encouragement). I learned that there are zombie walks all over the world and in Toronto the last zombie walk had over 13,000 zombies. Unbelievable! I learned that zombies have their own language and a code of ethics (no harming, no fake weapons etc.). And then I had a dinner party with my very creative and funny friends and they made me laugh so hard that I stopped taking myself so seriously and started to have fun with the idea.
Two hours before I was go on the stage to lead the zombie yoga, the whole program was firm in my mind. I was pumped and off I went. And I had a great time. The costumes and the makeup were so creative. And my heart was smiling as I looked out at the zombies doing yoga to watch numerous parents and their kids, and grandparents and their grandchildren having fun and for 1 day a year being something they aren’t in their normal every day life. I don’t even know what I feared in going. It’s about dressing up (like we did when we were kids and created costumes of devils and witches).
As a self employed person, and someone who cares about the community, I absolutely have to keep trying new things and being open to new possibilities. Even after all my years of doing yoga, I am quick to judge. The beauty is that I catch it now and I pause, and then I can choose to do something differently if I want. Sometimes I just need to take myself less seriously and get outside the box I that I live in. Congratulations to everyone who made the Haliburton Zombie Walk happen. We absolutely all must keep trying to create unique and fun family centred experiences for our community. We all will benefit.
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