Embrace the Flake

A little over a year ago, I was on my way from Merida to Tulum.  Mexico.  Around Spring break time.

I wasn’t sure about what I was about to embark on.  Until that point, yoga had not been part of my routine.  Neither had meditation.

So I turn up in Tulum.  For a week of both yoga and meditation.  With a healthy mix of the beach and the sun.  I remember being really nervous about what was ahead.

In an email to a friend, I flippantly mentioned what my next week would look like and how uncertain I was about how it would all play out.  His advice?

“Embrace the flake.”

So I did.  I basically signed up for every extra curricular activity on offer.  Bike rides and ruins and ceynotes and mangroves.

The sweat lodge and the healing massage.

The sweat lodge started it all.  The honey and the herbs.  The heat and the sweat.  Intense heat.  All I could focus on was what was happening right there in that room.

And Mari* running the show.  Small. But strong in spirit.  My hero.

The following morning as I finished breakfast I noticed the same name noted down as the healing masseuse.  I asked the desk and they confirmed that the spirited woman from the sweat lodge was indeed the massage therapist.

What’s the worst that could happen if I put my name down for a healing massage?  Most importantly, I would get to meet Mari.

Two days later and there I was standing, eyes closed, in a small room in front of a table with a candle and flowers.

Holding a chicken’s egg in each hand.

While Mari rubbed another egg all over my stomach and chest and said prayers/verses in Spanish.

Yep.

This was the flake.  And I was embracing it.

She then proceeded to crack the egg into a glass of water. She took me outside and held the glass in the light so she could see the pattern of the egg white in the water.

And she told me what she saw in the patterns. Three times. One with each egg.

And then she read my cards.

We talked about the people who love me.

And the things holding me back.

We talked about how there was great things in store for me.

But mostly we talked about balance. Which for me has always been an end goal. The holy grail. And something I had failed to achieve for anything longer that about a month.

And every now and again, I would switch the conversation to her, and her life. And the people who loved her.

The conversation had a rhythm all of its own. From raw emotion to hysterical laughter. Things were falling out of my mouth that I had never said out loud before.

This was me, embracing the flake.

It wasn’t magic.

It was a mixture of wisdom.  And connection.

All from someone who has a gift for making you feel comfortable in your own skin.

You’re honest with her, you heal a little bit and you move on a better version of yourself.

We hugged when I left, both with tears in our eyes.  She told me she may not remember my name but she would definitely remember my story.

Embrace the flake.

Get Lost.  Stay Curious.