2013 is almost done....on the one hand its been the most amazing year, on the other hand that darn learning curve took itself off it's own graph and was last seen heading towards Saturn. As a general rule I'm an optimist, a half glass kinda girl and steadfastly remain so but I don't always learn quickly and I don't like letting go or giving up, so sometimes I hang on to the edge of the raft even when I can clearly see the very miffed Tiger sitting in the dingy opposite me.So as I stare out of the raft and back at this year it's been about travel, meeting new people, friendship, love, revising past chapters in my story so far and final curtain calls.

And so after a busy beginning to the year for Easter this year I learnt more about Islam in Morocco than I ever expected, and from a Muslim man. I gained a level of respect for a culture that in truth I knew very little about, this beautiful country with its warm people and colorful women reminded me nothing beats an open mind or an open heart where education is concerned. From there in May I found myself back in Italy for our first Pilates Retreat of the Year. I love teaching in Casperia, enough said. The following week my life was being saved at St Mary's Hospital, London, when a rather frustrated Appendix decided enough was enough. The NHS is a true gift, however flawed, I will always be grateful for the scars I have left, of course I don't mind them, they remind me several people saved my life one average Tuesday night after teaching,  Too busy to notice I was really quite sick.

2 weeks later its June and I was back teaching in Cyprus, scars barely healed but able to complete the Full Mat work albeit gently, that's the true gift of Mr Pilates work, if the exercises are in your body, your body will use them to heal you when you most need them to. July was a conference in Valencia, run by the too fabulous +TonyBalongo http://www.valenciaclassicalpilates.com/ Whilst there I got to see the ever lovely +BrookeSiler again but also got to meet someone who would inspire just a little gift of hope in me on those days when it all gets a bit over whelming and scary out there in Pilates land, +KathiRossNash exudes an energy and passion for Pilates which is truly infectious, she also makes me smile, and I love her for it.

In August I turned 40 in NYC and did ballet barre classes like no Ballet classes I've ever experienced before, I'm not sure I ever want to meet those muscles again in my lifetime, I met +CareyRegan http://www.reabnyc.com/instructors_Bio.asp?ID=51318377 who simply told me to spread my wings and let go, whilst talking to my mother about her cat.

September was back to teaching Retreats in Cyprus and finally returning to Casperia where I have never laughed so much, ever, being locked out at midnight during a storm being a truly memorable moment. Nothing like being in a scene from Ab Fab and realizing its a scene from your actual life. I also started my Classical training with +AlisonGoodman at http://www.pilatesnation.co.uk/ .In truth my brain is fried with all the extra learning I'm trying to absorb but then I just hear Carey's and Kathi's words and I beat those wings a little harder and hope I dont land too hard on my tush. And finally in November I found myself in Florence two days after my divorce was finalized, How is it such a perfect, beautiful City seemed so vast, overwhelming and frightening, thank goodness for =DeborahLessen and +FrancescaBertoni at http://www.bodybalancestudio.it/pilates.html and Prosecco!

And already its December, This year I've continued to be a volunteer with The Mayhew Animal Home and cried too many tears over our ridiculous Breed specific legislation. I've restored a company (no idea how I managed that) I've finally got my way after three years of legal dullness when a Barrister, and I quote, finally gave in just to get rid of the 'annoying little girl'. And I ended a marriage, knowing your doing the right thing doesn't always make it pain free or less exhausting. My eldest cat died suddenly one spring night, my youngest dog just had his knee reconstructed and is currently the reincarnation of Tigger when he is supposed to be rehabilitating steadily, my Grandmother developed Bone Cancer and still got herself to Brighton for Christmas at The Grand Hotel, that learning curve was last seen heading towards a Galaxy far, far, away. I've had a year of friends caring and not caring, I've had fabulous clients reminding me of just what it is I'm destined to do. I've had Sleep restored by thoughts of Unicorns and girlfriends there to remind me its not a rehearsal, I've also had a mother telling me to eat. But that's it, as this year draws to an end I'm reminded that every mistake, misunderstanding, memory (good and bad), and magical moment were exactly as they were meant to be, perhaps more profoundly, when I couldn't decide between an Angel, Pegasus or Unicorn for my next Tattoo someone unwittingly made the decision for me. Well after all, 'Life is too important to be taken seriously' Mr Wilde, you are so right.

Happy New Year to All that are walking the walk and spreading those wings,

Suzy x

A man called Toto....

Its an underpass, covered in Graffiti, the kind found in a lot of Italy, bold, aggressive. A little look closer however, and you realise its actually artwork, images and words I'm sure the local community understand much better than me, that said I'm uneasy in this rabbit warren but somethings different, I can hear opera, loud, glorious, unapologetic and compelling, I can also smell incense. Its then I'm introduced to Toto, he's a man that's lived several lives in one, he is homeless, I'm not sure if he lives in the underpass but he directs the ambiance, the hustle and the bustle with the elegance of a concert pianist. He makes an area you would normally rush to get through an oasis in the blindness of day to day routine. He hands me some incense, a gift from a stranger to a stranger and I am deeply humbled and feeling just a little foolish in Florence.

So here I am in a city I once visited 20 years ago, I've barely breathed since my divorce came through. I hate flying, I'm anxious in groups of people I don't know, I don't know where I'm staying or how to get there and I'm not sure I want to spend two days thinking about Pilates, and then I meet Toto and everything finds its place. I'm here to study with +DeborahLessen courtesy of  +FrencescaBertoni of https://www.facebook.com/www.bodybalancestudio.it . I'm the only participant from the UK, everyone else is Italian or Dutch. Deborah is here post knee surgery and amazingly sharp and generous given the jet lag she must have been feeling and the challenges of a recovering knee. I'm staying in a B&B which is actually a delightful couples house where they let rooms, no hotel anonymity for me, just a delightful rotund cat and a toy poodle living in fear of her. Its a strange thing taking yourself out of your comfort zone, forgetting that others will find my being vegan odd and simply say so. Cue the Prosecco and a tantrum when the waiter serves it in a sherry glass, 'Please bring me a grown up glass' I heard myself say (I'm a little stressed!). Francesca is a delight and a truly passionate Pilates soul with a beautiful studio, generous spirit and could not have made things easier for me and those attending, although I have to say moving equipment via a horse box (straw included) was a unique, magical and somewhat surreal moment.

After two days taking in the wisdom of Deborah http://www.deborahlessenpilates.com/green_street.php and learning albeit with creative hand signalling from the other participants I spent a third day just walking through a magical city, taking in its beauty, its warmth and its elegance. I'd survived taking myself out of my comfort zone, no harm done. I met new people, collided head on with other cultures (yes I can really help lift a reformer), I drank Prosecco in grown up glasses and waited 45 minutes for a bath to fill (who knew the art of learning patience was in the bubbles all along), I learnt I could fly alone without the Captain having to divert the plane due to passenger hysteria. I learnt that being a vegan is confusing to some, And?! but most of all I learnt that a man called Toto was the lesson I was really meant to take, that in the places that often fill you with fear, where there are so many exits you don't know which one to take, where sometimes you have to go underneath where you are comfortable and feel safe to cross to the other side, that all you have to do is stop and listen. Because music to lift your soul is playing somewhere, you just have to tune the rest of the noise out to stand a chance of hearing it.

Pilates love and energy as always....

Suzy x
www.seraphinapilates.com