Rediscovering Relationships and Communities

It’s not yet been a week since I left and this trip has already changed me beyond what I expected. So many things in my life were invisible to me and are now revealing themselves in new ways. For example, the relationships I've built back home have revealed themselves in a completely new way. I've always considered myself to be mentally, physically, and emotionally strong. These strength, however, are not something that I hold intrinsically. Rather, these strengths are firmly founded in the support and love I've received from all the relationships I've built.

If I were to name everyone in this blog post it would become boringly long and I would surely miss a few names. Instead, I’d like to appreciate the groups of people who have built the two most important communities in my life. These two communities are the East Bay Gyrotonic community and my family.

 East Bay Gyrotonic was built by my teachers, my peers, and my students. Each one of you know who you are, but I’d like to give special thanks the woman who introduced me to this work and has been my mentor, Jovita Bonsiepe. This community has given me incredible physical, mental, and emotional strength by teaching me how to work the body, how to manage a business, and how to care for people. In my absence, I'm seeing how this community will keep blossoming and instilling new strengths for those who choose to become part of it. I look forward to supporting this community during my journey and when I return.

 I’d also like to appreciate the group of people who have help to build my family. This group of people is not limited to my immediate family, but is inclusive of all friends and extended family who are living or dead.  Without your love and support, none of this would be possible. There are no words to describe the depth of my appreciation, but know that when I think of you tears roll down my face. These tears precipitate not because I won’t see you for a long time (or some ever again), they come because I realize how important you've been and how much I owe my life to you. A special thanks to my dad Guillermo Wechsler for being my close friend, to my mom Patricia Bravo for radiating endless love, to my brother Santiago Wechsler for taking care of me, and for my sister Jovita Wechsler for helping to manage my life.

Not one week has yet passed and I miss you all tremendously. If I've not mentioned you it’s not because you’re not important. Rather, I want to emphasize the strength of the communities that we have built instead of the individuals in them. Some of you might overlap in both the communities I mentioned above. Let’s keep these communities alive and vibrant because it’s they that give flavor to life. Now I embark on a journey to grow and spread the Capoeira community throughout North and South America with my beloved teacher, Mestre Acordeon. This will bring a whole new set of lessons that I hope to share with everyone in future posts. Until then, think about the communities that support you and what they mean to you… maybe you’ll discover something new.