You would think that with the whole world in front of me and time for days I would have enough time to see everyone I want to see for as long as I want to see them. Turns out the world doesn’t work like that and even when I’m not on a “schedule” I somehow put myself on a schedule.

Elizabeth and I had a much more hurried visit in Atlanta than either of us would have liked. I stayed at her beautiful house and she made me her famous Italian eggs for breakfast: grilled bread with chunks of roasted garlic, sprinkled with parmesan and smeared with tomato sauce topped with a perfectly cooked egg, the yolk running into the crispy bread when you cut into it. With strong coffee, a few routines from So You Think You Can Dance?, discussion of the finer points of how to make a 90 second dance routine into a compelling story and finishing with an 80’s music extravaganza, it was the perfect morning. I made some great friend choices in my college years and she’s one of them.

She left for a doctor’s appointment and a little later I drove out of ATL under a dismal leaden grey sky and the threat of rain. As I drove up 75 into Tennessee the grey sky spit and misted and drizzled and rained and fogged for hours, easing up every now and then but showing no sun all day.  That April showers business? I’m over it. I want to see some sun! Remind me I said that when I get to the desert…

Several hours later I stopped in Chattanooga for lunch and tracked down a place I’d heard of called:

I cannot resist a place with that name that serves breakfast all day. Plus they had the most kick ass use of an old dive helmet that I’ve ever seen:

I had breakfast again. I can do eat breakfast at every meal. And be happy. It’s my favorite meal of the day. I had a grilled potato and applewood smoked bacon omelette with a biscuit as big as my head that I couldn’t finish. Delicious. If you’re ever in Chattanooga, stop by. They’re open late.

I didn’t have time for much else because I had a yoga class and a dinner date so I booked it straight into Nashville without stopping. There wasn’t much I would have stopped for anyway but when I got into Nashville and tried to go to my yoga class, I realized I crossed a time zone and acquired an extra hour.

BUMMER.

I wish we lived in a world where I could give that hour away to someone who wanted it.Or I wish I could pay it forward and use it later down the road when I’m driving like a bat out of hell because I’m SO late. I made good use of the hour today but I’m sure someone else needed it more than I did. If anyone could get on the technology and make this time shiftiness happen before I finish this road trip, I promise them my first extra hour.

I did bikram in Cool Springs with Sandra, a very energetic upbeat teacher. The class was cooler than others I’ve taken lately, which is always more bearable for me, but I still had a lot of trouble with the balance poses. This situation was not helped by the woman standing directly in front of me.

It’s so hard not to look at other students in the class. Normally I try to focus on my own poses but this woman was deliberately out of sync with the rest of the class, starting her poses late, finishing them early and essentially having her own class on her own time. I was unreasonably irritated by her timing and it affected my ability to concentrate. My teacher in Winston Salem, NC had emphasized the importance of everyone starting and ending together, so I was thinking about her while trying not to watch the woman in front of me. Finally I had to pull myself together and think of a phrase I haven’t heard in years, which led me to my Bikram lesson of the day:

Keep your eyes on your own paper.

It’s so first grade but it’s so true. When we got to the first savasana I breathed deeply and reminded myself that her practice is not my business. I don’t know where she is, what she needs or why she was here. All I need to worry about is my practice. Have a little grace, try not to watch her, focus on my own poses. It’s hard not to judge but it’s important. I know that I have days where it takes everything I’ve got just to stay in the room. Maybe she’s having that kind of day. And the next time I have that kind of day, I hope someone gives me grace.

I left class thinking about her and drove to my best friend’s parent’s house in Nashville where I’ll be soaking up their good will for an extra day before I jet off to Mexico for a mini-break over the weekend. I certainly should have tons of extra grace to give away given the blissed out nature of my life right now.

Be good to yourselves.

More tomorrow.