Last full moon, 15th July, one of my gal pals invited me to a full moon party and as per chance it was held in the suburb where I reside. This full moon shin dig was being hosted and attended by a group of folks, some of which were known to each other, bonded by their mutual enrolment at a yoga teacher training course, taught by the reputable Radiant Light Yoga. I was a ring-in. An outsider, however it didn't matter.
Gal pal, Claudia picked me up on the Saturday night and we drove half a dozen blocks from my place to the party. The first to arrive, we were greeted by the hostess who, by a desultory coincidence, I immediately recognised. "Nicola! Hi! We've met before!" I exclaimed and proceeded to tell the story, reminding her of the time her son Brock befriended me on the train (see post #1 Talk To A Stranger At A Set Of Traffic Lights). How's that for a SECOND incidental meeting??
Back at the campfire, we tore open the pack of marshmallows and I had to jump (a few times) to grab a couple of long, thin sticks off the nearest tree, tall that it was. Rohan and I quickly took up residence as Short Order Marshmallow Chefs. I prefer to roast marshmallows over coals while Rohan preferred the flame grill method... until of course the flame caught the better of his first few marshmallows.
By now a few more people had turned up and Rohan and I had marshmallow orders to fill. We had fun spotting out different coloured flames. Blue, white, all shades of yellow, orange and red and even the occasional green flame. I had really gotten to know the coals, as a chef might get to know his or her oven and kitchen. Cook one, eat one, cook one, eat one. We alternated between offering toasted marshmallows to guests and eating one ourselves, whilst a luscious vegetarian dinner of naan bread and an aromatic curry was simmering away in the kitchen upstairs, making its presence known by languidly wafting down the stairs and intermingling with eau de campfire. Little wonder that everyone tucked in heartily once it was ready.
The party continued until the last piece of wood had been placed on the embers and one by one guests announced their resignation. We too thanked our host, Nicola for the evening, saying we'd probably meet again, and bid our farewells.
Reflecting on the evening later I thought about how I really didn't want to go. Before Claudia picked me up I considered calling, nay - texting her, armed with any one of my pathetic excuses. I also thought about little needed social networking websites. Given the chance meeting with Nicola on two occasions now, unplanned, people turn up constantly in our lives, achieved by a simple method known as Just Leaving The House. All you have to do to meet the right people at the right time is leave the house and who knows what fun you might end up having? Toasting marshmallows and having a sing-a-long around a campfire by moonlight is what I risked missing out on and I am grateful for the lovely evening that unfolded, like origami. And like someone who unfolds origami out of curiousity, I'd like to repeat the process 1000 times over........ Peace.
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