UDONOME: A Japanese Noodle story
Hey! You don’t know me, quit touching my foot! The man in front of me, about my age but far less flexible, struggles to right himself according to the yoga instructor’s gentle and flowing instructions.
“Legs straight, quadriceps pulled up towards the core. Hand resting lightly on your calf while the other hand reaches for the sky. This is triangle pose. Open your chest! Breathe! Yoga is a union of effort and relaxation. Slip into the nectar of the pose.”
The man in front of me is not an inappropriate yoga guy and I am not a fit young thing in perfectly coordinated yoga wear. But I can hold a pose and I can balance on one foot for several minutes. It’s amazing how strong I have become with yoga.
Last night I caught a snippet of local news on TV. I caught the tail end of the anchorman’s spiel “shark attack today” as the screen-line read La Jolla Shores.
I watched TV until the news came back on and then found out that the attack was nowhere near San Diego but in northern Monterey Bay.
Today, before yoga, I went surfing north of La Jolla Shores. I constantly scanned the ocean bottom through the clear water. What if a shark did attack me? What would I do? If I saw it coming towards me (a highly unlikely scenario according to the experts) I would shout, “You don’t know me! Why are you doing this?” as the hungry predator dragged me towards my watery grave. I fervently prayed to Poseidon to send me a wave for distraction.
I drip sweat onto the mat and smell the day’s toil collected in the hollows of my armpits.
Today at work, I received a job offer, a promotion to be the project manager for a new research program to study the temporal dynamics of learning. I told my current employers about it. They offered me more pay with half the workload if I remained in my current position. “You don’t know me,” I wanted to interject but wisely shut my mouth and let the two academic powerhouses up the ante as they continued to fight over me.
There are cognitive studies that claim emotions strongly bias our decision-making much more so than rational thought. They are wrong. They don’t know me. Last night my Dharma teacher said, “Timing is everything,” using the exact words I used in the interview to express my interest in the new center. I know what I’m going to do.
“Be in the moment” the yoga instructor gently admonishes. I focus on my breathing and my trembling right leg.
“Legs straight, quadriceps pulled up towards the core. Hand resting lightly on your calf while the other hand reaches for the sky. This is triangle pose. Open your chest! Breathe! Yoga is a union of effort and relaxation. Slip into the nectar of the pose.”
The man in front of me is not an inappropriate yoga guy and I am not a fit young thing in perfectly coordinated yoga wear. But I can hold a pose and I can balance on one foot for several minutes. It’s amazing how strong I have become with yoga.
Last night I caught a snippet of local news on TV. I caught the tail end of the anchorman’s spiel “shark attack today” as the screen-line read La Jolla Shores.
I watched TV until the news came back on and then found out that the attack was nowhere near San Diego but in northern Monterey Bay.
Today, before yoga, I went surfing north of La Jolla Shores. I constantly scanned the ocean bottom through the clear water. What if a shark did attack me? What would I do? If I saw it coming towards me (a highly unlikely scenario according to the experts) I would shout, “You don’t know me! Why are you doing this?” as the hungry predator dragged me towards my watery grave. I fervently prayed to Poseidon to send me a wave for distraction.
I drip sweat onto the mat and smell the day’s toil collected in the hollows of my armpits.
Today at work, I received a job offer, a promotion to be the project manager for a new research program to study the temporal dynamics of learning. I told my current employers about it. They offered me more pay with half the workload if I remained in my current position. “You don’t know me,” I wanted to interject but wisely shut my mouth and let the two academic powerhouses up the ante as they continued to fight over me.
There are cognitive studies that claim emotions strongly bias our decision-making much more so than rational thought. They are wrong. They don’t know me. Last night my Dharma teacher said, “Timing is everything,” using the exact words I used in the interview to express my interest in the new center. I know what I’m going to do.
“Be in the moment” the yoga instructor gently admonishes. I focus on my breathing and my trembling right leg.
posted by Shelley Neilsdottir at 8:35 PM
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