On my way to the 5 Rhythms weekend workshop DEEP with Andrew Holmes in Amsterdam I took the ferry behind the Central Station to Buiksloterweg. Those five minutes softly swaying on this ferry connecting Amsterdam Centre with Amsterdam North, offered me the tickling sensation of holidays; water, sunshine, gentle breeze in my hair… I was ferried into another world… on my way to follow a workshop; no teaching, no crewing, no assisting, no nothing extras… just moving and dancing for me; my body, my dance, my life, my depth…
I looked forward to this one; never danced with Andrew Holmes before, he promised us dancing DEEP; most of all I was thrilled that Rimke, my dear colleague and precious friend would be there too… a weekend of dancing together… what a gift!
Walking through the streets of Amsterdam North, deeply absorbed in these happy thoughts, a guy on a bike asked for my attention with a question: “Are you familiar here?”
“No, clearly no, I am carrying a backpack and dragging a suitcase… no…”, I thought.
“I would like to know the way to Heggerankweg… “, he continued.
“I can look that up, I have an I-phone, what number?” I replied.
“Why do I ask for the number?”, said a voice in my head, “You’re really too helpful, Caroline… always giving more than asked… too eager… too, too, too … ”
During this head conversation the man gave me the number and Google maps found the spot. I started explaining, it was still pretty far and quite complicated. At one moment he said, “It has to be close to Mosplein. I know how to get to Mosplein.”
I looked on the map and responded: “Yes, then it’s easy, from Mosplein it’s first street at your right, and then the first street left…” He thanked me and he was off…
This was peculiar… why ask for directions, when he was not even close and he knew how to get to Mosplein, which was close… strange… I concluded he just wanted to have a chat… no problem, nice guy, nice chat… still a bit pondering about this strange meeting I continued my walk to the venue.
We had a beautiful start of the workshop, moving our bodyparts with full attention, deeply listening, following our thread of movement, bringing us deeper and deeper…
During the break I shared lunch with Rimke; it was great to do some catching up with my soulmate…
She knows that people regularly ask me for directions in places where I am not familiar and I told her some of my strange meeting that morning…
Rimke replied, “For me it’s fairly special to dance here, while I am very familiar here…
I spent the first ten days of my life here in this neighbourhood; while my mother had to stay in hospital after giving birth, I lived at my grandmother’s on the Heggerankweg… “
“Serious? Heggerankweg? That was the street that guy asked for!”
“Really…? That’s amazing! Yeah, she lived there, at number 120…”
“I almost choked in my tasty bite of delicious food… 120? That was the number that guy was going to…”
I showed Rimke my I-phone as Google maps keeps the most recent searches for addresses… there it was: Heggerankweg 120… where Rimke spent her first ten days of her life…
Crazy coincidence…? No!
Deep connection… YES!
