footnote (at the top) on this entry....I am not making a political statement in either direction in this entry. It is just a commentary on the culture of Oregon. As for my political views on the subject matter, I'll keep you guessing. They may not be what you think or, then again, they may be :).
Sitting today in a yoga class with fifty other people crammed in a small room heated to a temperature that would rival a hot August Houston day, I started thinking, “I feel so cool..so West Coast!.” And then, as though Englightenment struck, I saw us all as we really were- a bunch of spandex clad people, looking more like we were in our pajamas than in workout clothes, twisting our bodies into strange shapes named after animals such as ‘frog,’ ‘fish,’ and ‘dog.’ Sweating profusely in a small contained space with my head hanging upside down, I tried to concentrate on my “breath of fire” instead of the odor from the armpits of the guy next to me. I thought, “Life is so strange, and the things we do to ourselves sometimes even stranger.”
The class perspired on, and I bent, pulled, and lifted my body in various shapes trying to get some indoor exercise as the rains/snow continued to come down on our Portland streets. But, it wasn’t until after class that I realized that living on the West Coast really is different. As I fumbled to put on my shoes and head back out into the rain, I overheard a man crying and sharing an emotional exchange with a fellow yogi.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am. Finally, finally, we are not second class citizens. We have rights. My partner and I will be married tomorrow,” he said through tears.
Ohhhh, now I remember. The front page of the paper today-
Civil unions get the nod in Oregon
A referendum ruling clears the way for gays and lesbians to register as domestic partners
And I thought, “Toto, we are not in Kansas…I mean, Tennessee, anymore.”
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