Salsa

When I have a considerable amount of solitary time or I'm not continuously talking to the people around me, I think a lot. This can either be really good or really bad for me, and when it's the good stuff, I end up with ruminations of the like of the posts on this blog. A recent experience falls under the "not continuously talking to people" category. For a short backstory, I was on a family reunion (the same type as mentioned in the previous post) last week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming (a beautiful, beautiful place, by the way). It was the Fourth of July, actually, and at our rental house we heard music coming from the nearby hotel resort. Two cousins and I decided to go down to listen to the concert that had been going on all afternoon. My aunt joined us and after a short walk down, we were treated to the fun sound of a band called Calle Mambo. They performed original songs and covers, all in Latin style (salsa? mambo? I'm not sure but it was awesome.) What made the experience even better was the small crowd of people in front of the stage dancing. There were people who couldn't dance, people who could, people who knew how to salsa and some who just were out there for the heck of it (or they were very drunk). There was one point when I was simply gazing at the scene before me, drinking in the toe-tapping tunes and watching the mesmerizing sight of the dancing that I just had this awe-filled feeling of an outburst of pure life. Everyone was smiling, the music and sight was intoxicating, and everyone was letting go of their woes to simply let loose. There was this almost indescribable feeling in the air, an electricity that permeated the entire atmosphere.

That is what living feels like.

I hope that I can feel that again someday. That utter joy and jubilation and fun that can only really be summed up in a smile.

:)