Background?
Back in January. I was in Monterey, teaching a six day Destuckification Retreat, having a ridiculously good time, and also getting pounded by some hardcore shivanautical epiphanies.
Anyway. I knew we needed a Playground. And so I wrote it a love letter.
And we were off!
And now it’s the day before.
This whole time, whenever things got a little insane, I’d tell Selma and my gentleman friend that it’s just like putting on a play.
It never seems like it will be ready. And then boom last minute dress rehearsal opening night curtain goes up and all of a sudden you have a play.
But honestly? I was still not completely convinced it would happen for us.
We open tomorrow. Yesterday morning we still didn’t have lighting, rugs, or a finished stage.
And still. Somehow, it’s all coming together.
At the last minute, exactly as it should.
We magically found the exact right number of eco-friendly carpet remnants to cover the stage.
Which saved us $160. And that turned out to be perfect because that was exactly how much we needed for the ancient, fabulous, insane floor lamps.
Then my gentleman friend found the most perfect pirate-ey chest at a consignment shop.
The right tablecloth turned up in a grocery store, of all places.
The beverage dispenser thing-ey needed to be raised and there was nothing to put it on. But then I found the exact right sized box.
And remembered that half yard of goofy sailing ship cloth that I bought just in case of something something. And it worked.
We oozed our fair share of blood, sweat and tears, but by late last night we had something that looked more or less like a Playground.
We’ve done the hard part.
All the internal and external stuff to prepare for the arrival of something you really want.
All the things you have to make safe for a tiny, sweet thing with tiny, sweet toes.
I had to make room for the part of me who thinks that if something good happens, something bad must follow.
We invoked some serious protection.
Then there was the first welcoming. The almost-baby shower.
And the pirate monkey barn-raising that turned into a fun-brewing party.
And everyone has been helping.
Our sweet Willie illustrated monsters!
And Malwina made us pirate-ey cushions and is sending them from The Netherlands.
Tara the Blonde Chicken is teaching a class on pricing to raise fun and funds for us.
You guys have sent love and wishes and jumped up and down with happiness for me. You’ve sent monies and cards and sometimes even sock monkeys.
Plus extraordinary help from Hiro (whose clairvoyant abilities also helped us find the space to begin with).
I thought I knew what grateful felt like.
But it’s like discovering a new color. The warmth in my heart is so … huge. Thank you.
Also my gentleman friend.
Thank you, my love. For many things. But especially for:
- going along with my hare-brained schemes, often even enthusiastically.
- painting and scrubbing and lifting and arranging and doing mysterious things with power tools.
- building the most beautiful stage a Shiva Nata teacher could ever want.
- talking me down from some scary places.
- appreciating my kooky ideas and for making me laugh.
- believing in me and my work.
Tomorrow at noon we begin.
There’s still a lot to do. Cue hysterical laughter. Yeeeeees.
The ship’s wheel arrives today. The meditation cushions are late. We have to drive around the city picking stuff up from PDX etsy-ites.
And buy curtains. And put up shelves.
Also, at this point I could probably write volumes about the difference between an internet business and having a live space.
So many things you need that I hadn’t even thought of. Like a vacuum cleaner and a really tall ladder.
And seventeen thousand pairs of scissors because somehow you can never find one when you need it.
So there’s a lot to happen before collapsing in bed tonight.
So it’s not about being done.
Because hahahahahaha. And also because we still need to put in the yoga floor before the next group arrives.
And get more supplies.
So yes. There is still much raising of fun and funds to be done, and so the fun brewing extravaganza continues.
But this feeling of hey this is really and truly working is here. It showed up last night around 9:00 pm, and I still felt it this morning when I got up.
I’ll try and post pictures tomorrow or Sunday. In the meantime, thank you for being a part of this with me.
Whenever things got hard or weird or overwhelming, I thought about the crazy great thing that is this space.
How much I adore you guys.
And what a safe, comfortable, loving place we’ve built here. And that if it’s possible to do something like that online, whatever would happen in person would be incredible.
That’s it.
I have to go do a thing with Hope the realtor of hopefulness. And decorate the Refueling Station.
And pick up juice glasses and buy lemons and clean clean clean clean clean.
Oh, and I’m also teaching a teleclass today for some reason. So yes, that’s hilarious.
In the meantime, I will be here too.
Thank you for being with me while I do this. It means everything to me.
You guys!
Follow
I’m so happy for you! Looking forward to seeing the space!
.-= Jennifer Louden´s last post … There are no Tests =-.
Congrats on the impending Playground grand opening! It’s been fun hearing about its progress, and I can’t WAIT to see pictures!
I am here cheering you on from the virtual sidelines!
Oh, Havi, I’m tingly with excitement! One more sleep before Opening Day! 🙂
Wishing you ease, support and miraculous co-operation from all beings today.
Love, love, love,
Hiro
.-= Hiro Boga´s last post … In the Center of My Ribs… =-.
Wow Havi, I am so excited and thrilled for you! What an inexplicable sense of elation you must have…To see something becoming right in front of you, to mold a *home* to welcome others to that home and to celebrate everything we know and don’t know.
Congratulations!
Many warm wishes for continued fizzpoppin’ goodness.
Elana
I am beyond excited for you! Wishing you a day full of magic and ease and more hours than you need.
.-= Elizabeth´s last post … pink and grey =-.
LOVE! HUGS! YAY!
xoxo
Ingrid
Blowing kisses and holding the line to pull for the confetti to drop.
Thank you for letting us witness it; and for letting us help. I’m so excited for you!! Lots of luck and hope it all goes smoothly.
Remember to laugh and then go have some tea. =)
.-= Rose´s last post … Insights – Asking for Help =-.
Funny that Hiro said she was tingly with excitement – those are the exact words I had in mind to describe how I’m feeling too!
This is all so wonderful, exciting, most certainly exhausting, and did I say exciting? 🙂
Also, the volumes you could write about the difference between an internet business and having a live space? I have a feeling I may want to read them at some point… (I’ll have to tell you about the building I saw during the visualisation the other day…)
.-= Josiane´s last post … Movement =-.
Yay!
Squee!
Jumping around in excitement!
#thatisall
.-= Tara´s last post … Hello! Welcome! =-.
Raising a virtual champagne glass in celebration of you and the playground! Cheers for all the amazing things you’ve done to make it happen and I can’t wait to hear about all the coolness that happens there!
And rest will come!
.-= Liz´s last post … Sunrise, Sunset… =-.
So exciting!
Wishing you and your duck and your guests a wonderful weekend of fun and piratey-ness and all sorts of goodness!
It’s been so great to follow along with you and get to help as well!
I can’t wait to see the pics either 🙂
I wish I could be there for opening night / day. I’m gloriously over the top happy for you and this new tiny one with perfect little toes. Interesting metaphor because this baby is doing Shiva Nata before it can walk!
You have shared yourself with your usual transparency as you’ve brought the Playground to life. Without dismissing the hardness of the hard, I’ve got to say how much I admire you for the speed you’ve moved through it and the size of the vision you’ve created in such a short time.
On with the show! (Little Rascals) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA9J5-lYmic
.-= Mahala Mazerov´s last post … Testing the Benefits of Meditation… in the Emergency Room =-.
So much joy and excitement, so happy for you that all this is happpening and coming to life!
There is a new ice cream place close to where I live called “Der Eis Pirat”. Sounds like an adequate place to go to tomorrow to celebrate the glorious playground opening that is happening sooooo far away from here. Photos would hence be wonderful.
Happy Birthday Playground – let the play commence! Wonderfulllll! Ohhhh – sounds soooooo beautiful. Wishing you rest, comfort, ease, laughter, joy Havi, Selma, Playground and all of Havi’s helper mice in all their varies forms.
I so wish I could be there.
Well done sweetie – well done, well done, well done!!!
xxxx
.-= Leila Lloyd-Evelyn´s last post … How authentic is your voice? What character traits & passion do you squash, sit on & crush? =-.
Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh!! Your tiny, sweet thing! It’s HERE!! Well, almost. SO excited for you and for all the lovely people who are joining you for Camp Biggification!
.-= Sherron´s last post … This is what I was born to do =-.
I´m SOOO excited for you!
It feels like I´ll be joining you tomorrow…well,I guess is just my soul doing some space traveling.
Just don´t forget your internet thingy here…´cause, right now, that´s the only way I can get some of your you-ness.
Much love and appreciation.
.-= carolina´s last post … Un jueves cualquiera =-.
I LOVE it when a plan comes together! Hugs!
@carolina – not going anywhere! 🙂
@Leocadia – Der Eis Pirat! Awesome.
@Mahala – ha. yes. Little Rascals and Shivanautical babies. Nice.
@LaShae – confetti! Confetti! Perfect.
So much love to all of you. I need to shower and nap so bad it’s not funny. But off to errand some more and then maybe both of those will happen. LOVE!
Oh Havi, this is all so very exciting! It is amazing when the final little details come together in the end. Wheee!
How fantastic.
Cheers!
Oh my goodness, I can relate to the play analogy, since plays are my ‘thing’ and every single time it seems like it won’t happen, and every single time it does (to back up this claim, see… every other post on my blog). It’s hair-raising and hare-brained and miraculous!
Anyway, congrats to you for bringing your work to the real live stage! I’m excited to see a place like the Playground emerge in Portland.
Faith
Sending more love and happy thoughts and smoooooth seas your way! <3
Wow, The Playground is here?! :^D If the airfare wasn’t AU$1369, I’d cross the Pacific and gatecrash the opening! Lucky for you, that’s a little outside my budget this year.
Congratulations, darling! ;^)
.-= Meg´s last post … Self-Portrait: The Blues =-.
Go Havi! You did it! 🙂 Hooray!
So amazing to watch this process. Best wishes!
.-= Stacy´s last post … Dreaming of empty buildings, food and community =-.
Hi Havi,
To an amazing tomorrow. I am sure it will be a blast.
devin
.-= Devin´s last post … Travel. Write. Live.’s 100th Blog! =-.
AAAAAAHHHHH! I’m illiterate with excitement.
.-= Kelly Parkinson´s last post … In memory of your birthday, which I forgot =-.
So very exciting! I can’t wait to hear more – and see pictures. I had to laugh at the “seventeen thousand pairs of scissors.” So true…Probably a great metaphor for something, those scissors. I can never seem to find a pair, either, no matter how many I hide around the house.
Hope you can take a moment to enjoy your day!
Dude! So excited for you!
Breathe deep and have a kickass day tomorrow! Awesomesauce to commence. Yarrr! 🙂
.-= claire´s last post … Yoga for Wimps =-.
So very happy and excited for you! I’ll be thinking about you and the Playground all day tomorrow.
.-= Kathleen Avins´s last post … Self-Evidence + Authenticity: A blog challenge from Dian Reid =-.
Totally TOTALLY fucking exciting.
Full of love and eeee and happiness and envy and hope and joy and grins.
Fuck.
It’s SO great, honey.
Blearrararrghgharrhrhrhghghrhahrhr!
And arrr arrr!
.-= Andrew Lightheart´s last post … Freakus Interruptus Tool Numero Uno =-.
I am waving good luck and excitement to you. Have fun!
Whee, Havi! So happy for you!
.-= Susan´s last post … Business Mindset and Your Practice Niche =-.
A giant WOOOT and happy dance for you, Selma, GF and the impossibly beautiful Sweet Tiny Playground!
Yay Yay Yay Yay Yay!!!
Not enough exclamation points ON THE PLANET!
.-= chicsinger simone´s last post … C’est fini! Well, painted…studio improvements continue, and a crash course in hunk I mean punk. =-.
Congratulations Havi and team!! This is surely going to be the absolutely coolest playground EVER!
Can’t wait to see pictures and to be even MORE excited!!
Mazel tov!
.-= Katy´s last post … 8 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Use Feng Shui for More Business – and More Money =-.