The fowling is a blog post from by Katie McSwain of Loveland Conservatory Dance:
I find myself alone in Santa Fe for a couple of days. I boogied out on a road trip with my husband directly after the dance studio showcases wrapped up. Its been a nonstop dance season with long active days. I need a vacation and inspiration! My husband had to cut our trip short to fly out to Oahu, Hawaii for work. I’m not ready to drive home yet. For me vacation=shopping.
I hit the streets surrounding the downtown Santa Fe Plaza. I’m looking for a cool piece of jewelry or a fabulous leather moto jacket to take home as a souvenir. I pop in to a shop where I’ve located a leather jacket and I’m in mid try-on when I’m greeted by a sweet, German/French lady. Her opening comment to me was so wonderful and brilliant that it caught me completely off-guard. I liked her immediately. We got into a conversation about my broad shoulders which made jacket buying difficult (which in turn she kept complimenting my physique and strong back).
“Are you a swimmer?”, no I’m just broad! I explained that I teach dance and that I’m not a prissy dancer… jazz, hip-hop and breaking has created a physical beast out of me. She tells me she loves to dance but her chemo treatment is attacking her tendons and dancing is painful, but she adores it! We talk about the therapy and inspiration of dance, the struggles of being a woman business owner for multiple locations, the juggles of life and the beauty of Colorado. She excitedly hands me a postcard ad for a Middle East dance company show. “Can you make it?! This woman is one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met”. After studying it, the show is the following night. I’m alone in the city… perfect! We exchange names (and of course I stumble all over with the proper pronunciation of her name).
At that moment I decided I HAD to buy the leather jacket. This woman has an energy about her that I’m drawn to. As I head to the register to pay for my gorgeous leather moto jacket, I realize the shop is named after her, Uli’s, which I find even more adoring. At our final moment, I felt compelled to tell to her that we just finished our dance showcases and this year the theme was “Inspiration”. She giggles and understands why I took the time to tell her.
So do you want to know what her brilliant opening line was to me?
“How can I inspire you today?”… if only she knew!