Tuesday, September 1, 2009

What was fascinating about Bible study for my kind, I discovered at my first meeting, was the sheer breadth of cultural familiarities on offer, a wide stock of Asian reference points designed to put me at ease. There were Filipinos, as promised, but more than that the shared vocabulary and even the iconography felt tailored, glove-like. It wasn’t just “Jesus Christ,” for instance–it was “Jesus Christ-san,” and His painted depictions weren’t of the usual white dude with brown hair and facial growth. Think Y.E. Yang, instead, with flowing black tresses. It’s also highly likely I’m just fuckin’ with you, of course, because I slept clean through Sunday morning, and we should turn to the real topic at hand.

The most significant thing I did this weekend was go outside, under full cover of what is normally referred to as “sunshine,” for a four-mile walk. There was fresh air as well, upon which I somehow did not asphyxiate. I’ve been trying to live healthier–eat less, move more, sleep better–and although the fries I consumed during lunch today did little to further this great undertaking, the general trend has been promising. The cooler weather has a lot to do with it, I believe, because it’s just that much easier to go outdoors when it’s not, like, a hundred-fifty degrees.

The four miles I tread did not occur on a hamster wheel, as you may have suspected, but rather unfolded on the local greenway, which is basically a wooden path that cuts through nature. It was fascinating to follow the walkway as it wended under and alongside streets I frequently drive, transforming them into wholly unfamiliar avenues, quiet all around, the raw smell of plants and earth catering to the senses. When my constitutional was over, I walked out of a nearby Trader Joe’s with a bag full of organic foods, tired but rejuvenated, a momentary paragon of healthy living. And having said all this, what I would’ve much rather done was rub a double bacon cheeseburger all over my face.