My Personal Myth

  
Personal Myth – A Life As A Short Story.

Little did anyone know that the last baby to be x-rayed (the machine broke) at Tahoe Forrest Hospital would experience such diverse twists and turns in her life. Then again she didn't start off doing things the easy way. She was born 10:15am, June 19th 1974 via c-section because she wouldn't turn and was trying to come out one foot at at time. She grew up the the only child of a seamstress/substitute teacher and California State Park Ranger and often kept to herself with dreams of racing through the mountains on horseback or dancing to a favorite song. Known for being friendly and empathetic her friends ranged from the neighbor girl with autism to the football jocks. Yet she never fit into any specific group, dabbling in several. Adaptable and mutable, much like her astrological sign she flitted from hobby to hobby. Sewing, horseback riding, painting, drawing, singing, piano, flute, guitar, youth group, sheepdog training, scrapbooking, swimming, and eventually, into bellydance.
    All of these things led to a wide variety of experiences that make up the core foundation of who Nancy is. Her interest in horses led to meeting the man she was married to for nearly 15 years. They experienced college together, buying a house, losing a child, and then raising two beautiful daughters. Their “happily ever after” didn't go as planned, but as with other events in Nancy’s story, things change and she adapts.
    At age 30 she discovered bellydance, through an interest in Middle Eastern music and as a way to express herself. She never though of herself as particularly athletic, she has never been overly flexible (physically) but was moved to understand how to interpret the nuances of this rich music. Even within bellydance she has moved amongst different methods on the spectrum. Starting off with American Tribal Style, a Heinz 57 style that is a group improvisational style. This didn't really fit the idea she had for herself so she gravitated toward a variation on this style that incorporated elements from other dance styles. While fun and entertaining to watch, something was still missing. Often the dance had a sad, dark, or disconnected feel and for a bright, bubbly, somewhat extroverted girl it felt like a square peg being jammed in round hole. What she did gain through these communities were new connections with people that led to making a decision to move her family from the rural foothills, to Oakland. Bellydance had led her to Burning Man, and a friend named Heidi. Heidi invited Nancy (and Nancy's family) to a large Memorial Day camp-out on her property. What started out as an event where Nancy knew one person, ended with 150 new acquaintances that would become her social network in the coming years. It was also the place where her then husband met his soon to be girlfriend, but that is a whole different story. Things were set in motion after that weekend that propelled Nancy further along her path of change, expansion, and re-inventing herself (again). She continued to bellydance and gravitated toward a more traditional Egyptian style that started to feel more like it fit. She enjoyed being a sparkly girly girl who grew more comfortable in letting the feminine nature show in all its unbridled expression.
    Along with this came the awareness that the next area to expand was in a spiritual direction. With gentle encouragement from her partner she started exploring meditation and gaining insight into areas where she was still clinging to old ways while moving along into new ones. The clash was often not a comfortable experience. The increased interest in alternative ways of knowing brought her to JFK university, educated her more about the mind-body connection, how to incorporate that in dance and her spiritual path. She joined this program to be able to help others find their way however individually driven that is. “Boxes are for dancing on, not in” she has said many times and she plans to continue this trend. Fully experiencing something, keeping the aspects that suit her, shedding the ones that don't, and moving on for another chapter in a full rich life. For now its a mid 30's woman in grad school with multicolored hair. It's difficult to say where exactly she will wind up after this, but if her story shows anything, it will be one heck of a journey. Full of stories she hopes to share with her children, and their children, should they chose to have any.