Am I Dead?

I thought I had died.  I was honestly concerned.  I called Steve to make sure I was still on this planet.  I told him I was freaking out a bit.  And not in a bad way.  More of a, “Did I just die and go to heaven?” kinda way.  Cause if I was to go to heaven, my heaven would look like Byron Bay.

The day after we had arrived in Byron, I dropped the boys off at skateboarding camp and hopped online to find a nearby yoga class.  I quickly found one less that a kilometer away, so I jumped in my rented 1998 Toyota Corolla and off I went with my portable speaker blasting next to me.  And I will tell you, I honestly felt more like me than I have felt in a long time.  Maybe it was the broken stereo, maybe it was the ripped seat, maybe it was all four windows rolled-down with the wind through my hair, but it brought me back to high school me.  Focused on the stuff that really mattered. 

So, I head to my yoga class and walk into the space.  I ask to hire a mat, unroll it and have a seat.  Then the women start to arrive.  And they all look like me.  

Living in Tokyo I sometimes forget that I look different than everyone around me.  I have the privilege of not getting treated differently, so I forget that I am different.  But here I am on this yoga mat and I can’t get over how all these girls look just like me.  And dress just like me.  And have nose rings and stacks of bracelets too.  And are wearing the clothes I wear.  And kick off the shoes I just kicked off.  It was surreal.

After an incredible class I chatted up one of my identical twins to ask if she recommended a place to grab a bite.  She then showed me to a cafe that had my smoothies on the chalkboard menu, listed next to all the salads I love.  While I waited for my order I ducked in clothing stores that carried my clothes.  Furniture stores that sold my furniture.  Pottery stores that showcased my dishes.  And a book shop that featured my books.  As I sat down to eat my buddha bowl and sip on my green juice, out bounded an off-leash golden retriever through the beautifully green open area and I thought to myself, in the 70 degree weather: “Am I dead?  Am I in heaven?  I need to call Steve.”