belonging and not belonging
Jun. 24th, 2009 08:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
swingchickiei've been thinking a lot recently about some groups out there in the world that i'm not a part of. i can't put my finger on the name for it, but just people who fall into a certain common category. (not very caffeinated yet today.)
"hippie hoopers" - i'm on a number of hooper message boards, and i'm fascinated by the posts from these folks. whether they're from san francisco, north carolina, or maine, the "hippie hoopers" as jack and i refer to them seem to be completely centered in themselves and the world around them, and hooping is almost a form of meditation and nature-connectedness for them. their posts talk about "energy", "life force", "light"... this spiritual explosion that they get from the act of hooping. and throughout is expression of gratitude for all of their experiences -- a good practice session, other hoopers they meet... it's hard to put into words, but they ust come across at this incredibly joyous, centered group of people. i can't relate, but i'm fascinated. they speak a language completely different from mine. if you're curious, check out christabel's blog on www.hoopgirl.com... might give you a better idea of what i'm talking about.
uber-healthy eaters - i'm not just talking about vegetarians here, considering that my ex J was vegetarian and practically lived off of cool ranch doritos and chocolate. many of the "hippie hoopers" also fall into this category. these are the folks who truly love eating the healthiest of foods. it's not out of being on a diet or any sort of obligation to eat their veggies everyday... it's that they really enjoy eating fruits and vegetables, and would gladly choose a salad over a burger anyday. if they were on a road trip and had to stop to eat, while i was in line at the burger king they'd be at a farm stand buying fresh fruit. one local hooper here said recently, "i could just live off of fruit, i love it so much". which is the complete opposite of how my brain works. in one of christabel's blog posts, she writes about a big hooping retreat she went to last weekend... and she mentioned her breakfast of toasted olive bread slathered with coconut oil, avocado, and sea salt, with fresh fruit and tea. now, on the one hand, yum. on the other hand, that's completely different from the egg and cheese sandwich i make myself every morning. and on the OTHER hand, i'd be terrified that my blood sugar would plummet through the floor 20 minutes later. again, this isn't "i need to eat more fruits and veggies"... it's a desire to have that mindset that the only food i enjoy eating is healthy food, and getting less pleasure from the drive-thru.
ren-faire/LARP/etc folks - i sort of put all these people into on category, but it comes down to the people who love getting dressed up and immersing themselves in another world. i just can't let myself go that much to be able to become a character and live like that for hours or days. a guy i knew in boston had a group of friends who would rent a bunch of cabins in the woods every summer, and spend the better part of a week dressing up as their characters and playing a game. i'm fascinated. and it's not something i'd ever do just to check it out, because i truly wouldn't be able to get into it and i'd ruin everyone else's time. i can't even go to a ren faire and say "huzzah" to the queen when she walks by, i feel like an ass. but i think it's awesome that people can get so into it.
*looking at the clock* darnit, have to rally for work. i guess my membership in the "corporate drone" subculture comes into play now.
"hippie hoopers" - i'm on a number of hooper message boards, and i'm fascinated by the posts from these folks. whether they're from san francisco, north carolina, or maine, the "hippie hoopers" as jack and i refer to them seem to be completely centered in themselves and the world around them, and hooping is almost a form of meditation and nature-connectedness for them. their posts talk about "energy", "life force", "light"... this spiritual explosion that they get from the act of hooping. and throughout is expression of gratitude for all of their experiences -- a good practice session, other hoopers they meet... it's hard to put into words, but they ust come across at this incredibly joyous, centered group of people. i can't relate, but i'm fascinated. they speak a language completely different from mine. if you're curious, check out christabel's blog on www.hoopgirl.com... might give you a better idea of what i'm talking about.
uber-healthy eaters - i'm not just talking about vegetarians here, considering that my ex J was vegetarian and practically lived off of cool ranch doritos and chocolate. many of the "hippie hoopers" also fall into this category. these are the folks who truly love eating the healthiest of foods. it's not out of being on a diet or any sort of obligation to eat their veggies everyday... it's that they really enjoy eating fruits and vegetables, and would gladly choose a salad over a burger anyday. if they were on a road trip and had to stop to eat, while i was in line at the burger king they'd be at a farm stand buying fresh fruit. one local hooper here said recently, "i could just live off of fruit, i love it so much". which is the complete opposite of how my brain works. in one of christabel's blog posts, she writes about a big hooping retreat she went to last weekend... and she mentioned her breakfast of toasted olive bread slathered with coconut oil, avocado, and sea salt, with fresh fruit and tea. now, on the one hand, yum. on the other hand, that's completely different from the egg and cheese sandwich i make myself every morning. and on the OTHER hand, i'd be terrified that my blood sugar would plummet through the floor 20 minutes later. again, this isn't "i need to eat more fruits and veggies"... it's a desire to have that mindset that the only food i enjoy eating is healthy food, and getting less pleasure from the drive-thru.
ren-faire/LARP/etc folks - i sort of put all these people into on category, but it comes down to the people who love getting dressed up and immersing themselves in another world. i just can't let myself go that much to be able to become a character and live like that for hours or days. a guy i knew in boston had a group of friends who would rent a bunch of cabins in the woods every summer, and spend the better part of a week dressing up as their characters and playing a game. i'm fascinated. and it's not something i'd ever do just to check it out, because i truly wouldn't be able to get into it and i'd ruin everyone else's time. i can't even go to a ren faire and say "huzzah" to the queen when she walks by, i feel like an ass. but i think it's awesome that people can get so into it.
*looking at the clock* darnit, have to rally for work. i guess my membership in the "corporate drone" subculture comes into play now.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-06-24 04:59 pm (UTC)Yeah, I'm not in this category either, certainly not all the way in it. I'm over meat, but I'm not over tasty tasty sweetz and etc. Kinda don't wanna be.
But there are unhealthy behaviors that don't interest me anymore, mostly because they are incompatible with other "vices" I enjoy more (seriously? Do something that's incompatible with dancing my ass off? Dear God, why?)
I'm positive Augustine said something like "to the just man, doing right feels good," which sounds naive but is actually pretty clever when you consider that it's a process... he doesn't start out getting off on being one of the good guys, but he winds up that way... unfortunately I can't find a reference for it.