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C’est la vie qui nous mène, on ne mène pas la vie. / Life leads us, we do not lead life – Grandmama Estelle
“C’est la vie qui nous mène, on ne mène pas la vie. / Life leads us, we do not lead life,” my grandmother confided in me about twenty some years ago. She was a wise one, and her absence enhances the life she lived so elegantly. I was sitting at the edge of her dusty-rose floral print sofa, trying to grasp her words and her scent all at once.
The yearly conversational topic had once again returned, and before this statement, she had asked me about my future. Dancing was in my heart, but confusion had formulated a quick answer I believed to be somewhat more conservative and pleasing to her ears. She probably heard the fumbling of the words breaking away from my thoughts as if they were sifting through the mental walls that kept them prisoners: DANCE – School – journalist – MOM – job – LOVE – Writing – I – don’t – know!
“Life carries us. We don’t carry life,” was unconsciously revised and translated into English (my second language), and this is the version I still pass on to others in honor of her legacy.
Today I realize that these words were always floating about, whispering to the core of my being, digging their roots deep within my existence. Had my soul grasped the wisdom of her words at the moment of impact, I most likely would have struggled to find the gates belonging to them.
My youth was uncomfortably leaning toward shifty walls, and I was banging my fist against them. I was a young mother in the midst of a quiet rebellion fearing the possibility of a grim future — one that lacked artifice. My youthful external nature was all fireworks. It was energetic and sometimes quite disruptive.
Undoubtedly, other words like soft and safe would also lose their meaning. Things were already uncomfortable enough. Two lives were paradoxically at odds; the “Olympian” vs. the “Homemaker.” To achieve a different sort of balance would be the height of my achievements, and an impossible rhythm to maintain over time. Inadvertently, this was the work. I had to discover new ways to bend my life, new ways to maintain a flexible outlook on life, which in turn invited strength.
To this day I constantly shift between the two protagonists and I know I have reached alignment in the process. Once I understood how to act in harmony with life’s natural forces, a whole new world opened up to me.
I have raised four beautiful children and married a wonderful man. The old question “What is next?” has found a resting place. The unknown is ever present, and the most existential question has risen.
The measure of your life is not in duration, it is in donation. – Dr Wayne Dyer
My universal question has now become; “How may I serve?”
FLOW is the keyword. The seed to begin the work.
Words are powerful. I will anchor my writing on these four essential words. They will begin the work to invite FLOW.
F is for: FORGIVENESS
Forgiveness
Lightness
Openness
Wholeness
The valley spirit, undying
Is called the Mystic Female
The gateway of the Mystic Female
Is called the root of Heaven and Earth
It flows continuously, barely perceptible
When utilized, it is never exhausted
LAO TZU
Give well,
Natasha Jean-Bart
Also by Natasha:
On Wisdom: Marriage Is Preparation For Divorce
Keys To Transcending Life’s Push And Pull
Natasha "Tash" Jean-Bart is a curator of ethos who alchemically synthesises the world through her senses. Through her writings, she seeks herself, and by design, the words transcend the page to make their imprints on those who also seek themselves. Born in 1971 in Montreal, Canada, Natasha has been dancing professionally for over 30 years. Her love and dedication in learning the street dances taking root from the early beginnings of what created Hip Hop culture led her to connect and learn from the creators and pioneers of the culture internationally. In 2005, she was nominated Head Judge of Hip Hop International (HHI) Street Dance competition, a position she held for six years. That same year she also landed a lead role as Lady Madonna in The Beatles “LOVE” by Cirque Du Soleil at the MGM Mirage in Las Vegas. Natasha is a connector and has created hundreds of opportunities for artists and companies alike. In 2011, she co-founded the Wättssoul company with her husband, Ghislain Malardier. Driven by their desire to help and mentor a new generation of artists, this dynamic duo has inspired and established a social platform promoting free expression of the arts by creating a network and community with a mission to inspire the world to re-imagine life through art. The company now produces the Las Vegas Locking Camp and invests time and resources to sponsor international community events that promote artistic growth and culture awareness. "Tash" mother of four and grandmother of three, still travels internationally in order to pass on the knowledge she accumulated throughout the years to a new generation of dancers. She is still studying and training with the pioneers and forever will be a student of the culture.
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