Posted March 27th, 2003 by Michelle

I went to a particularly stunning yoga class today. I was really committed to being there, really committed to the practice, really mindful of every movement of every cell of my body. At the end of class, we always bow down and salute each other, and the world- “Namaste!” and I always take a moment right then to be thankful. And my god, I don’t know that I’ve ever been more thankful in my life. Not the obvious stuff: family, friends, roof, bike(s), big new jug of Poland Spring water, Spring, veggie burgers. But rather the stuff that makes me suffer right now: knowledge, awareness, thought, compassion. This war may drag on. It could be months, maybe even years… I mean, how many troops do we still have in Afghanistan? Who has the contracts to rebuild what we’ve destroyed there? Who is going to tell me that the warring tribes aren’t celebrating the demise of the Taliban so they can control the country? How often do we still hear about it? And whatever happened to our fall guy, good ‘ol OBL?

But I am thankful that I care, that I know, and that there is a network of people across this country who care and know, too, and who will question every word in the NY Times, because there is no cause to believe anything they write. I am thankful that my head isn’t stuck up the proverbial musical theatre ass it was during 1994 when I probably couldn’t even define “genocide” let alone be aware that something kinda ugly was happening in Rwanda. I feel empowered by my sick stomach, enlightened by my disgust because at least I am feeling SOMETHING. My hatred of Bush is, sadly, fuel for some of my life right now. But at least I have fuel.

Others around me are feeling the same sort of paralysis, though. So many of us, after being stuck to the TV or news sources on our computers have now turned it off and don’t really want to hear about it. I haven’t read the paper in two days. When I scan the front page of the NY Times on the web, all I see is “Blah blah we did this blah blah they are bad blah blah they killed these blah blah Bush says something totally inane and wrong blah blah blah” and I just can’t take it anymore. After 9/11, they warned us that we would not be given very much information on the “war on terror”. “They” were right. We have no idea what is really going on.

On the home front, my new bike (the newer new bike, she’s no elf but her name is Sirrus) and I rode from Union Square in Manhattan, down Broadway, across Canal and onto the Manhattan Bridge. We then looped up Flatbush, which amazingly enough wasn’t the most terrifying ride of my life, and made it home in less than forty-five minutes. This was the first time I’ve done that ride, first time since I moved to Brooklyn, and it was so simple (and the ride over the bridge so beautiful) that I am going to attempt the reverse when I leave for work in the morning. It’s the end of my weekend and I got exactly no writing done on my two days off… and really, there’s nothing good I can say about that.

Two things: last Sunday, a guest at my restaurant refused a free glass of Billecart champagne because it was French. Last week, someone went to a French restaurant and asked to not have a French waiter. Here’s what I have to say to you two people: get the hell out of America. Or pick up a book once in a while. Or, better yet, and harder still: think for yourself for a nanosecond. It’ll change your life.