Wednesday, September 23, 2009

That's s-a-n-c-t-i-m-o-n-i-o-u-s. Yes, with an "s."

ThoughtSpot: Behind the Scenes! *roll camera*

The title of today's blog was almost, "Really? You took the elevator to the second floor?"

I IM'd my friend about this guy who did just that. We spent the better part of 30 seconds imagining what kind of seemingly able-bodied person carrying french fries would take an elevator up one flight. (Full disclosure: I love french fries. I just had them with a salad for dinner.) We broke down the life of said mystery creature before moving on to easier targets: kids with leukemia.

And then, as I was entering the parking garage at work tonight, I instinctively rushed to get the last spot on a crowded elevator. The doors closed. I pushed 2.

***

Today I was thinking about the first time I assisted a yoga camp. I really, really wanted to be an assistant. When I went through the program as a student, the assistants I had were effortlessly cool and worked the room with compassion and grace, fostering this really great experience.

It took me over a year and a half to get my own chance. When I finally did, I was so excited and honored and determined not to f*ck up. I wanted to help create the same amazing environment that my assistants had done for me. So I freaked out when I found myself bugged out by the girl who asked a zillion questions just to get noticed. (There's one in every group.) I tried to force myself to focus on her redeeming qualities, but the more I tried the more annoyed I got.

And then at lunch maybe two days in, the other assistants, the teacher, and I were sitting around eating lunch. The lead assistant commented on the boring rhetoric coming from Pointless Question Girl. I stared at her, scared to speak. My teacher agreed with my friend. I was stunned. They said what I was thinking, but that I didn't have the balls to say. I had assumed that since they were so awesome that they couldn't possibly notice annoying human traits. (And then I started to wonder what they'd said about me...)

The point is, the experience was pivotal for me. I felt this permission to be honest. I mean, I still thought, "You're asking dumb questions," when she'd raise her hand, but it was also kinda like, "Yeah, so what?" I saw her again at future trainings, so evidently she had an alright time too. In the end, I think truth is way more compassionate than faking it anyway.

P.S. And yes, K, patchouli DOES suck.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

The only thing worse than patchouli is nag champa. I should know. I was probably the assistant talking shit about the overtalker, wasn't I? That sounds like me. - Joslyn

vanessa said...

I'm inconsistent about this one -- I like nag. It reminds me of when I used to have this yoga practice.

And... at the table: you, me, JY and W.

peewee said...

That BETTER not have been ME

peewee said...

...Because I WAS AT YORU FIRST ASSISTANCE CAMP.

peewee said...

It was totally me, wasn't it.

vanessa said...

Ha! You weren't there actually. And you're not the girl who asks a million pointless questions. You're the girl who rolls her eyes at the girl asking a million pointless questions.