Solitude

I recently discovered Yoga on Tap at the Old Mecklenburg Brewery in Charlotte where you can get a yoga class and a beer for $5.  Beer and yoga?  Where do I sign up?  If I could rewrite the ever wholesome "My Favorite Things," it might sound something like this:

Flowing in yoga and sarcasm said,

Crispy fried bacon and reading in bed,

Foaming draft beer and the buzz that it brings

These are a few of my favorite things

Julie Andrews would be properly horrified, I'm sure.

Anyways, I went down to OMB last night to check out the class.  It was basically a warehouse with Christmas lights, candles, incense, a choir, and a thousand yogis flowing together.  We sang, held hands during savasana, and the instructor talked about helping our neighbor and getting "yoga stoned."  These are my people.  

Afterwards, I enjoyed a beer in the biergarten.  As I sat there contentedly watching the clouds drift across the sky by myself, it struck me that in my pre children days, I would have felt awkward and self conscious to do something like that alone.  In my younger days, I was a pack animal, feeling safety in numbers, but as I've gotten older I am comfortable to be on my own.  While everyone else seemed to know each other and were chatting amiably, I was happy to sit back and relax.  These days, I relish my solitude and enjoy the peace and quiet, allowing the world to continue around me while I slow down.  I had a great time people watching and day dreaming.  I left feeling recharged and ready to take on the challenges at home.