Can you dance like a true idiot?
Hello you wonderful souls!
We have made it together into another month full of possibilities, passion, peace and ... pizzzaaaa!🍕
When I woke up in Goa this morning and opened the front door, the mesmerizing smell of Petrichor welcomed me. What sounds like a scientific name for animal droppings, is in reality the official term for "the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil". 🌿 The word is constructed from Greek petra (πέτρα), meaning "rock" or "stone", and īchōr (ἰχώρ), the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology. In a nutshell: The monsoon is coming closer! 🌧️
Rain, rain, rain, never-ending rain.
Everyone who has lived in tropical hemispheres knows that monsoon time is quite a funny animal. 👀 While the THOUGHT of sitting safe and dry on your covered balcony, listening to heartwarming music with a cup of chai in one, a hot samosa in the other hand, fully immersed in the endless weeping of the skies, is a wonderful idea, the REALITY of a proper 3-month Monsoon, especially in a place like Goa, where it rains pretty much non-stop, is not as romantic as it seems.
You'll find yourself in a daily toxic war against surprise fungus attacks that seem to hide-out pretty much everywhere that is not 100% dry (your closet, your tea collection, your books 😱). So you'll buy dehumidifier machines and dry capsules, and while you do your daily rounds checking on spacial movement on the enemy's side, always ready to morn another bag, a mold-covered notebook, or your underwear (YES, there is no limit to fungal curiosity), you realise that all sorts of homeless creepy crawlies have decided to move in with you as well. 🐍🦂🕷️
This all is still very much manageable as long as electricity lights your rooms, freezes your french fries, and makes your coffee machine work, but in Goa, the moment the sky opens up even for a small drizzle, the wires seem to get so pissed off that after a few drops only, they decide to strike. Sure, you have an inverter that powers up a fan for a few hours, charges your phone and lights a few lamps, but after that you enter complete MONSOON DARKNESS. Oh, and did I mention that you don't see any sunshine for 3 months? 🥳
Happiness HAS TO come from within.
It will be my third monsoon in Goa this summer, and the one thing I learned is that apart from stocking up on airtight containers, piles of candles, and complete rain outfits (boots, pants, jacket, hat, umbrella), it is also important to prepare strategies to fight the mental melancholy that, just like scorpions and spiders, can creep in as well. What works best for me - and is also a perfect way to shake off any funk, no matter if its raining outside, or if you are stuck at home due to a global pandemic - is dance. Move your bum. Jump around (and forget about your downstairs neighbours for one track)! Grab your granny, child or pet, and DANCE LIKE NOBODY IS WATCHING! 🥳
Dance is the cheapest form of therapy.
What our ancient ancestors intuitively knew, is now also widely acknowledged by science. Many studies show that the act of dancing not only raises our heart rates, and causes the body to release feel-good endorphins into the bloodstream, but also helps to reduce the level of cortisol a.k.a. the stress hormone. The result: We feel happy, youthful and relaxed.
The wonderful SCHOOL OF LIFE, an initiative that teaches emotional intelligence, has gone one step further, and created this amazing video (8.30 minutes) about the importance to let loose on any dance floor:
A big shout-out to the lovely Priyanka who shared this gem with us! 🙏
Without further ado, it is time to put on your favourite track, and start your day with some serious shaking. Just press play, turn up the volume, and have fun!
I am wishing you the happiest start into the Friday, with the best rush of endorphins that have a party inside your blood streams. Keep moving, and keep smiling! ☀️
With love from Goa,
Isabelle 🌿
