The Jehovah's Witnesses look like realtors in my neighborhood

When I opened my door this morning, I thought I was being visited by Realtors. On my doorstep stood two women in careful outfits, hair coiffed, makeup applied tastefully. Their smiles were endearing, their pastels soothing, and they asked for my husband by name.

I was pretty surprised. Our usual Jehovah's Witnesses are men with terrible dandruff, in rumpled suits, carrying briefcases. I went to my husband's office and he swung his aeron chair around just far enough to tell me "I'm really not available right now."


If you've ever read a book, you know that there's a lot more to it than its cover.  In fact, sometimes "covers" can be misleading in the most irritating ways. When I went back to the door and offered to take the reading material they offered, one woman introduced herself, and started to tell me about the literature.

"This is about current events, " she said. "Violence, an everyday thing. Just today a man was killed in New York. Do you think about these things?"

I took a deep breath, flashing to the fact that I had, in fact, heard Steve Inskeep on my drive to yoga practice this morning, discussing the violent death of a possible terrorist. It had made me feel melancholy and hopeless. Then during yoga, I spent 80 minutes breathing, stretching, and absorbing energy in a beautiful place, supported by caring people.

"That's an interesting question" I said, "and one that I am NOT going to discuss with you," I did NOT say.

"Well, we are Jehovah's Witnesses, and we think about these things.  And we think about what God and the bible say about these things."

She flipped though, showing me some pages, and I looked down at the booklet in her hands.  Then I looked her straight in the eyes. "But, Why?" I wanted to ask.  "You are a friendly, articulate person, with excellent mascara application skills. Good on you for thinking about the world you live in, but why do you need "God" to help you with that?"

I thanked her politely and wished her a good day before closing the door.

The world is easier when appearances match our expectations. Today I was attracted to the cover of a book I did not wish to read. I don't want God or a church in my life. I want to be mindful and aware and think about my daily life experiences without having them colored or interpreted or commented on by a religious belief. If that is a perspective on the world that I am denying myself, so be it.

There are a lot of good books out there. The bible is just one anthology among many.  I've read it, and I have other things to do with my time than talk with a stranger about it.

Now, if you're inviting me to your open house in my neighborhood, that's a different story.

There's Always Someone Worse Off

Here's a fitness tip: You should really stop whatever you are doing, and rest, and take care of yourself if you feel like you are going to cry. Same goes for puking. Just STOP.  Not stop FOREVER...just stop for now.

Whatever physical activity you are TRYING to do, you are not getting enough air to do it. As my amazing yoga teacher says, "back off the intensity, and find your breath."

The training ride I planned for today made my workout buddy overtired, vulnerable, and about 3 miles from the end of my planned ride, weepy.  She called her partner to be picked up and taken home. Ooops. I was quite happy and supportive of her decision to stop.  I was SO grateful that she didn't try to "tough it out."  I have zero interest in dealing with an injured or collapsed team mate. WHEW.

The situation was only hilarious because of all the time I worried over a route that would add mileage and some small hills to make it "hard enough" -  to make it worth her while.  Again with the Oops.

I've been riding my big heavy bike (nicknamed affectionately by my ALC team members "The Tank") to and from yoga class. I've been riding it up and down from the beachfront.  I've been riding a LOT compared to her (apparently). So, even though she she can go twice (if not three times) as fast as me on her road bike with her clip pedals...she's just not as ready for hills.

So today was a reminder that when you take on any new challenge, beware assumptions. I assumed she was more fit and more prepared than me. Not so much. I assumed that because she had been "a cyclist" that she was mentally prepared as well. Now I know what being stretched a little too thin looks like for her.

Damn am I glad she was with me, and let me help her. How unbearable would it have been to be in that physically and emotionally beat-down state all alone? 

I'm also very grateful - as horrible as it sounds - to have the reminder that there's always someone worse off than me. I may have a terrible time keeping off and losing weight; I may have a big, clunker of a bike; I may not be able to get to the top of a big hill without some slow, resting, catch-my-breath time...but I am surprisingly healthy. Fit. And getting fitter as each week goes by.