Late this morning I took a walk up to the Rancho Santa Ana
Botanic Garden. This 86 acre garden of
mostly native California plants is only 35 miles from downtown L.A. but the
city does not intrude on its’ serenity.
I’m lucky to be able to walk there in under 10 minutes. There are miles of paths running through it
but often I see no one. It’s just me
walking around. Amazing.
Today though I decided to sit down and relax for a
while. I sat on a bench facing a mixture
of young Redwood trees and a few other conifers. I didn’t bother to learn the names of these
other trees. Why would it matter what
they are called?
I must have sat there for at least an hour and during that
hour I relaxed…really, really relaxed.
The air smelled sweet and the temperature was perfect. The sky was blue. I had on a pair shorts, some beaten up New
Balance running shoes that don’t see any running, an old collared short sleeve golf
shirt, and a baseball cap. I’m quite the
clotheshorse.
After sitting there awhile, trying not to think about
anything, I noticed this gentle breeze brushing the hair on my legs. I didn’t feel it much on my arms and not at
all on my freshly shaved face. The hairs
above my lip are stiff… so they weren’t waving
in this breeze. The 53 hairs on the top
of my head weren’t waving either as they were “protected” by my cap. The prevailing sensation and therefore my focus,
was on these hairy legs. Those hairs
were blowing this way and that…creating a very pleasant sensation…a kind of a
mini massage really. Provocative,
stimulating, and nice. I concentrated on
this for quite some time. After a while
it occurred to me that without the breeze I wouldn’t be experiencing these
sensations. Indeed, the air and the hair…were
one. :) And even as I understood this and merged into
this feeling, I couldn’t escape being conscious of witnessing this event from
another perspective. Pretty interesting
stuff…if you know what I mean.
Anyway, in my neighborhood I see many people walking
dogs. There must be thousands of dogs in
this town. Some of these people put
clothes and sometimes even hats on these dogs.
This always strikes me as funny.
I wonder how the dogs feel about this.
I imagine they just suffer some minor annoyance and
then…acceptance. I try not to judge the
people who dress their dogs…at least not too harshly. Many of these dog walkers are women and I
believe many women enjoy changing their appearance…as do some men. Shaving your legs can do that. Most people who shave their legs are
women. I suppose these women think that their dogs need a new look too. Most of the men who walk dressed-up dogs wear long
pants so I don’t know if they shave their legs or not. Of course, if you are trying to change your
appearance you are trying to change your identity in some way. You are trying to say something about
yourself or have others think something about you. We all do this to a degree...acting on a stage. Some of us deserve Oscar nominations at the very least. But getting back to hairy legs: I’m not shaving mine. I would miss these little mini-massages. Ladies, you might want to consider letting
the hair grow on your legs too. Just
think how good it might feel in a nice breeze!
A never-ending day at the Spa! On
the other hand… maybe not.
***
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
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