“Everything happens for a reason” seems like a cliché quote we all have pinned to a board buried deep within our Pinterest archives. This weekend I was reminded just how meaningful some of life’s “coincidences” can feel. You know, those moments where it feels like you lucked out to be in the right place at the right time and leave feeling a little bit lighter. I was feeling overwhelmed last week at balancing my workload and getting ready for a Folk Alliance conference this weekend in Iowa City. As a musician, my jobs range from not only performer; but website creator, booking agent, makeup artist, LLC manager, accountant, stagehand, sound guy, and so much more. Being a one-woman show is exhausting and I know many of us know the struggle of wearing many hats in our lives.
One of my goals lately coinciding with my teacher training, has been making the effort to do something to work towards being 1% better every day. Being so busy this weekend, I was so concerned about being prepared for my conference that my yoga goals seemed to once again slipped to the back burner. While in Iowa City, I met up with my friend Emily to shoot some photos for my social media. We made a plan to go to a state park near Cedar Rapids and be back in time for my evening showcase. As we started towards the park we quickly decided to detour to a beautiful barn on the Harvest Preserve just outside the downtown area. Once we arrived on the property, we met the man who owned it so got his permission to shoot our photos there before getting to work.
Shortly into the photoshoot, the property owner drove back up to us and asked if we could follow him out to a special place that he thought we would really enjoy. Figuring we would either be murdered or in for a neat adventure, we hopped in the car and followed our new friend. Little did we know he was about to unlock the gates to a secret haven tucked within prairie grass and trees, a 4,000 year old stone circle.
We were blown away walking up to this circle of pillars- I off the cuff made a comment to my friend that it felt like we were in Indonesia or something (a culture I know nothing about). As we read the plaque talking about the history of the stones- I got chills reading that these stones came to Iowa in 2002 from their original home, the Island of Flores—in the Indonesian Archipelago. My photographer friend and I are not super close, but we shared a special experience there among the stone pillars. Walking up to them she made a comment about being able to just feel the energy, and quickly the photoshoot went from a country musician vibe- to yoga. The shots we got are truly amazing and I can’t wait to share them with you all. I hope if you visit Iowa City you make a special trip out to see the Harvest Reserve. Sit quietly with the stones and follow the meditation guide on the plaque. It was a sure sign to me that no matter how busy we are, the opportunity for yoga in our lives is still very much needed and can be found in unique ways. Like “coincidently” finding an ancient stone circle right here in our own backyards.
Angela