The power to decide

Today at the library I run into a fellow classmate from yoga class. We exchanged comments and then she asked me how the practice is going. I answered her by saying, "I am not doing any of it."

Her eyes got big, her smile and laugh was instant and she appeared embarrassed for me. You know the expression, as if one has seeing someone you know do something in public like dumping a coffee on the floor or their credit card will not work or they have a scream child. "Oh my, I am sorry, I am here this moment."

I explained that I enjoyed the class and felt it was well worth my time but there was no way I plan to sit in a painful position and do this routine for 30 minutes a day. Quickly, she said it was also an uncomfortable position for her too.

The benefits of what was taught to us involve a lot to do with different breathing exercises while sitting cross legged. This is a position that is hard to start in the fourth quarter of life- not impossible but hard. Frankly, I have given thought to doing them while sitting in a chair, in a quiet room and on a regular bases and seeing if I reap any benefits.

This class taught me a couple other things that I know but consciously don't think about much. Our society is set up in a way that many people have no family, no one they love and many have become so isolated. Work places involved more machines today interacting with other than people in the flesh. What we produce involved more paper than items to feed or services or contributions to each others daily needs. These lonely people are turning to animals for love. Stories from class made me conscious of these facts again.

Talking about animals. Liz, the black hen, has giving up sitting on the golf balls. She has now joined the rest of the flock in daily yard time and is one noisy ones. At this point, I can't tell if she is doing her share of laying eggs but I get five every other day with this daily light.

I smiled when I saw Martha Stewart's hen house. You can see it on the internet--over the top lovely. Hen houses, as one of my friends told me, doesn't matter what you do they will make a mess of it. Add to the fact that I have slowly added pieces of fencing to keep them from flying out of their yard, plastic to cover areas to keep it dry for them. That little area of my lot is quickly becoming shanty town! I smile to myself and think of Martha Stewart.