Beautiful Day
Yesterday I walked from my house to the gym, and had a quick workout and stretch. I decided to leave my purse in my gym locker for the duration of the adventure I knew I was about to have, but I stuffed three dollars in my shoes to get some coffee on the way. (Good adventures begin with plenty of coffee.) Somewhere between the gym and the coffee shop, I lost my money, so I had to go back to the gym to get my purse. Arriving at the gym the second time, I ran into an acquaintance whom I know from various musical theatre parties, Tessa. I told her I was heading to Audubon Park to salute the sun 108 times, and that she was welcome to join me, but we'd have to leave that minute! To my elation, Tessa *did* have interest in such an adventure, especially with it being the last day of summer and all! We walked through the park to what is known among New Orleanians as the Tree of Life, where a special event was about to occur. Yesterday, across 35 nations, all the yoga instructors and peacelovers of participating cities planned an event which was open to interpretation of the individual organizers, the only requisite of which was that it was a movement promoting peaceful energy. In New Orleans, this movement involved chanting and sun salutations. 108 chants and 108 sun salutations, to be specific, 108 being an important number because it unites the sun and the earth and the moon in various astrological ways (I believe they said the sun is 108 times the size of the earth, maybe?) and because 1 is finite, and 8 is infinite. It was a beautiful experience. And when we finished, we walked to the levee, the raised earth around the river, where New Orleanians love to gather on weekends, taking in the sun, watching the boats, drinking, smoking, playing sports, and loving life. Also, being attacked by red ants; thats another essential part of the experience.
At the levee I met up with friends who I sat with until the sun began to set, then Lindsay drove me home. I showered, and almost thought -- after ALL that walking, working out, and incredible amounts of yoga -- that I was ready to go to sleep for the night. But Lindsay's friends had gotten reservations at Couchon, a nice restaurant in the warehouse district, which specializes in serving -- as its name would suggest -- pig. I was an adventurous little vegetarian, partaking of fried alligator and "head cheese" (an amalgam of pork facial meats).
Today I am going to see a play at Tulane written by a friend of mine, and then, as it is Sunday, a very holy day indeed, I'll play softball at the levee.
Oh, life.
At the levee I met up with friends who I sat with until the sun began to set, then Lindsay drove me home. I showered, and almost thought -- after ALL that walking, working out, and incredible amounts of yoga -- that I was ready to go to sleep for the night. But Lindsay's friends had gotten reservations at Couchon, a nice restaurant in the warehouse district, which specializes in serving -- as its name would suggest -- pig. I was an adventurous little vegetarian, partaking of fried alligator and "head cheese" (an amalgam of pork facial meats).
Today I am going to see a play at Tulane written by a friend of mine, and then, as it is Sunday, a very holy day indeed, I'll play softball at the levee.
Oh, life.