beads of sweat! by rocksee

Seattle, Washington, July 4, Two Dog Yoga Studio

I’m lying on my mat, feet up the “Lotus Wall” meditating on the paintbrush dabs that conspire to create a mural of an opening lotus blossom. At 10 a.m. it is already 83 degrees and NO-one in Seattle has air conditioning. A fire engine pulls out from the station across the street, siren unfurling like a hastily awakened cat, yet another fire. I follow the passage of the receding siren, mentally mapping where the truck is headed. Not my house.

Back to the mat.

I see the sturdy feet of my next-door-mat-mate next to mine on the maroon wall. Her name is Lisa Lotus,believe it or not. Although we are neighbors, Lisa and I have met in person exactly three times, once at a funeral, and once at a class I was teaching, but we have been friends on Facebook and have several good friends in common. I’m hoping she will invite me to swim in her pool. I’ve Googled it, there are exactly 3 pools in our neighborhood.

Back to the mat.

I smell a slightly sour “wet hair smell.” Even showering twice a day, with no air conditioning I’m a little “ripe.” A car door slams. I imagine the car is in the parking lot at Elliot Bay Brewery. The remembered taste of their yam fries dipped in homemade dark cherry ketchup fills my mouth with saliva. A drop of sweat trickles down the side of my forehead delicately, like a fly’s tiny feet, exploring the path of least resistance, as I yet again, bring my attention back to the mat.