Hunky Dory

Umesh, one of my former yoga teachers in Cambodia, messaged to check on my wellbeing. We’ve barely had contact since I left Cambodia in 2015, which shows both the randomness and greatness of social media. It was nice to hear from him and may inspire me to rejuvenate the yoga pose series from circa early 2015.

On my evening walk the streets and greens of Cambridge were noticeably more bustling than previous days. I was bemused (/irritated) by the piles of stuff left in front of charity shop doorways, when people know the shops can’t open for the foreseeable. It doesn’t count as a good or satisfying deed to dump items that will soon become strewn around the streets.

I continued along one of Cambridge’s main drags and spotted someone I know from one of the other conservation organisations that shares the David Attenborough Building. She seemed surprised. ‘You’re not in Africa then?’ I updated her briefly by hollering across the road.

Later I was on Jesus Green and I saw a kerfuffle some distance away. Someone was walking in boots with a fur trim (whatever floats their boat) and a dog was attacking the person’s feet and legs. The owner was panicking. ‘Dory! Dory! So sorry, she thinks your shoes are a dog.’

Dory then ran over and leapt on me whilst I perched on a bench. She was one of those tiny hairy dogs that weighs as much as a bird, i.e. not an endearing type. The owner continued to flail, disturbing the tranquility people were seeking by visiting the green. ‘If you’re going to misbehave you’re going to go back on the lead,’ she chastised. Dory mistakes fluffy shoes for dogs, therefore this type of logical reasoning may be beyond her capabilities. I returned to my rather circular Skype chat with a colleague about the funding budget we’re building. It definitely didn’t feel that tranquil either.

May tomorrow’s sanity walk be filled with more peace and solitude.