Pleasantries

A man sat next me on MRT on the way “home” tonight and asked me, “Where are you going?” I replied and he said, “The same for me.” You could say it could have beeen the icebreaker to conversation, or just exchanging pleasantries. It was nothing more than this. I looked at what my mind wanted to say more to establish my ‘me,’ needing to gain sympathy in order to prove my humanness. There is nothing I can say that would change his life or mine, so I relaxed and chuckled. He looked around to see what gathered my attention. I said nothing, and his phone rang and he excused himself because of human connection now. I smiled, and he would look to me occasionally to see what or who I am. But I am just on the same subway, the same path, with the same outcome as his, and we really don’t need to speak about it. We arrived near our stop and he got up and with an ever-so-light gesture moved his body to say we are here. I stood up casually and smiled and let out a sigh. I know.

What would you do?

The Japan catastrophe is weighing on everyone's mind. I know the suffering there to me, occupies my thoughts. We have prayed in temple with the sole purpose to help the Japanese.

Today, I rode my bike to the gym as usual even though it was raining. On the way out of where I park it in the gym, I had just mounted and the band holding my pants flew off and landed right in front of this man who I have seen in the gym. He just steps over it and continues walking, when he could have easily picked it up and handed to me. When it flew off I laughed like saying," Ha!", and when he ignored it, I just continued laughing. I know if was in position I would picked it up.

This week, I had a 92 yr old woman who is my computer class come to try the restoration yoga I go on Saturday at my suggestion. I helped her get set up, and up and down, and when things got a little too hard for her, I set up up for a relaxing savasana with props and a blanket, But she really liked legs up the wall... a first for her. Some poses she said would like to do them just to keep the body working. She was inspired by my "niceness," and when I walked her to her car, she said Thank you gave me a hug. She in turn, inspires me in class and even coming to try yoga. And this why she is still going while all her friends sit home and complain about their ailments!