Healthcare for the Homeless
Originally uploaded by Tokyorosa
I: This is a photo of the refrigerator at the Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless art studio where I went on Thursday with Kelly and Judi to drop off art supplies that Kelly was donating.
Love: Yesterday: Yoga. I was fighting it all the way and the only way I didn't fight it was by refusing to go. I did go, but I was done before I even stepped on the mat. I don't know what part of me was present, because my body was refusing to do more than the minimum of the asanas (and sometimes not even that) and my mind was a million miles away.
After yoga, David, Judi and I went across the street to the all-whitey Grove Cafe and had sandwiches and coffee. (David had a croque monsieur (or was it a croque madame?); Judi had a bacon and egg sandwich on a bagel; I had a BLT with guacamole on wheat. And, damn, whitey sure knows how to make a BLT. It was good.)
While we waited for our breakfast and while we ate our breakfast, we talked about the yoga class. Since the holiday schedule has everyone a bit discombobulated, our class was filled with a bunch of strangers. Strange strangers. One woman annoyed me from the moment I saw her because she came into the yoga studio (where cell phones are verboten) to take a cell phone call because, clearly, it's quieter in there than it is in the lobby. When I saw that, I was done with that woman. Done. Later, the same woman brought her cup of coffee into the studio and set it down next to her mat. I was, like, what is this, Yoga for Yuppies? Why don't you and your latte find another yoga studio?
And it never stopped with this woman. She was the kind that tried to anticipate the teacher and do her pose faster than the rest of us or hold her pose longer than the rest of us. Yes, that person. And poor Judi ended up having to partner with this woman (who told Judi that her name was "Fig or Linda" which of course meant that later, as we were mocking her behind her back, we had to call her "Figor Linda" which isn't that funny but so what? It makes me feel a little bit good and a little bit mean to poke little jokey holes in a big balloon of hot air and pretentiousness. I mean, "Fig or Linda"? Come on.)
Our theme for yoga was "courage." I didn't pick that theme, our teacher did, at random, out of a book. Seriously. So when Judi got partnered with Figor Linda, we had to do this pose that required one ot be taller than one's partner. (Most of us ended up standing on blocks.) At one point, Judi pointed out to Figor that Figor was quite short (which she was) and Figor disagreed and Judi said something like, "No, really. I've seen short and you're it." And Figor said, "I've never gotten in an argument in a yoga class." And Judi was, like, "Well, let me be the first to welcome you to Ghetto Yoga, shortie. Did you think this was Yoga for Yuppies? Why don't you and your latte find another yoga studio?"
That conversation took place almost entirely in my head, just now. What's real is that Judi did say to Figor that Figor was short and then Figor said she wasn't and Judi said that she was and Figor said that she'd never been in an argument during yoga. Judi's reply to that was even more perfect than any sharp little quip I could vent from my wicked and barbarous spleen. Judi simply said, "Courage."
Courage, little Figor. Courage.
Give: You know what I hate?
Bad grammar and shopping malls.
Yes
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