Turning Strangers Into Friends
Slacklining strikes again, leaving smiles and new connections to balance in its wake. Now let me tell you a tale of adventure and exploration. A true story of how the slackline helped open doors to new friendships. How it has never let me down as a training partner, and how it continues to offer new opportunities to grow. Grab a glass of water and enjoy!
There was a cold and snowy storm brewing up high in the clouds. A storm early in the snow season, one that was willing to dump buckets of snow if it got the chance…LUCKILY before it got the chance to unload its snowy flurry, I was far away in the warm sunshine and turquoise blue ocean. If you are hoping to hear more about the snow and freezing rain, you’re out of luck. This story is about what I was doing to avoid the winter blues…
Far away in southeastern in Mexico, the sun reached down to warm our faces. We have three weeks to travel and our plan is to spend two days on this little island called Isla Marejes. Lets just say, life doesn’t always go as planned. We fell in love with this magical place and stayed there for most of our travel time. The island was instantly our new home with both of us adapting quickly to the island schedule. My personal daily schedule became as follows:
Personal Daily Island Schedule
9:00 am- Yoga
10:15 am- Breakfast
11:30 am- Slackline training on the beach
2:30 pm- Lunch
3:30 pm- Spanish lesson
5:00 pm- Sunset swimming and acro training on the beach
7:00 pm- Dinner
9:00 pm-2:00am – Live music/moonlight Slackline training/ Lots of dancing
The days were amazing, but what I want to focus on in this blog is the Slackline training. Every time I go to a new country I try to take my slackline. It continues to give me smiles everytime I get the chance to play with someone on a line. In Mexico, I was able to play, teach and train with over 50 people. A few of these individuals I became closer friends with. Connecting with both locals and other travelers, I got a well-rounded experience of the island people. Everyone was super kind and I’m super stoked to have met so many amazing folks. I believe I will be seeing some of them again real soon, like this guy down below.
Our new friend Pablo, finding pointer on the line
The Line Is A Reliable Training Partner
I just set up my line and BAM my training partner is ready. Before too long, an onlooker is often interested in trying it out. After some time playing on the line, a stranger is now a friend and the slackline community grows. I love training slacklining with people. Also, every time I want to train, my slackline is willing and able! Talk about an excellent training partner, dependable and wise. Now that may sound silly, but it’s true. When I want a full body workout and want to challenge both my mental and physical balance, the slackline always steps up. It’s there for me when I want to train specific flows or random yoga poses. It also supports me in long hold positions and provides a challenge when I need it.
The Slackline Provides Opportunities
The challenges the slackline offers are exactly the same opportunities it offers for growth. With every struggle I have on the line, there is hidden opportunity to learn. Which helps me slow down and breathe so I can move forward. For example, while on Isla Marejes, I was training cartwheels on a 2 inch slackline. Now this is a scary move to try, but being close to the sandy ground I felt safe. I failed many times and didn’t land a single cartwheel, but the line never gave up on me. The line stayed strong allowing the opportunity for me to keep trying. All that support finally payed off because I halfway landed the cartwheel by the end of the training session. For me, that is major growth and I have the slackline to thank for that.
I had an amazing time in Mexico, spending time on the line daily, in such a beautiful place was epic. I loved spending valuable time with my partner training and relaxing, eating super tasty and affordable food. The list goes on and on of good times, and the special connections and memories that are priceless. Thank you so much Isla Mujeres for accepting us to your land with open and loving vibes. So there you have it, the story is over…or is it? More slacklining stories from Mexico to come. Thanks for reading and have a great day.
Peace,
Buddy Thomas