Ground Out

by Noelle Neglia

If we were on TV this would be categorized as a sur-reality show.
    
After our day off shopping trip I had a strange experience. I went walking in the fields and had one of those quasi nirvana/quasi mushroom trip moments. You know the kind where you’re feeling one with the grass and the clouds? You know that one right? Well whatever, I do.
    
Anyway singing to the hills, sound of music style, alone, I wander into Jean Claude’s enormous country-luxe home. I see the laundry, folded on a wooden bench. I think, “oh, they’re back with the laundry!” I walk up the stairs, see Elka and exclaim, “you’re back!” She squints and says, “whaaa?” Suddenly, it all becomes clearer. WE were the ones who did the laundry, Elka and myself, and the boys. It’s the other girls who are still out shopping at Costco. Dear god I am so out of it, and haven’t even touched an intoxicant in months!!!
    
That, my friends, is the vibe here. We’re getting ourselves into the minds and bodies of dreamers; learning the language of the subconscious. We spend our days (and afternoons and nights) doing exercises where we magnetize trees, babble through repetitious and carnivalesque renditions of Chekhov, and embody sea creatures. Jean Claude leads us in Continuum warm ups where we spiral in delirious, slow, fetal-like contortions on the floor. One time, coming out of a Continuum warmup I said apologetically, shaking my head vigorously, “Excuse me, I just need a sec to remind myself who I am and where…” Jean Claude smiled at me and said,”That’s ok, you don’t have to.”
    
The truth is, I hooked up with TReE because I knew this would be a unique experimental experience. I am pleased to report it has been savory, moving, and deliciously out of the ordinary. The kinda thing kind that would make an onlooker totally weirded out, but kinda jealous too.