One. Take out your rubber mat.
Two. Unroll it and lay it flat on the ground, avoiding open spaces.
Three. Wear a rubber rain jacket and boots, and fold body into child’s pose, without physical contact with the ground.
Four. Wait for the lightning storm to end.
Five. Roll up your mat and take off your rubber rain jacket.
Six. Skip around your island to warm up and dry off.
Seven. Boil a pot of tea on your gas stove.
Eight. Pour the beverage into a travel mug with a lid.
Nine. Sip and observe the storm’s aftermath.
Ten. Nap.
1 response so far ↓
kylemh // January 21, 2008 at 9:15 pm
I like that you wrote out the numbers… It gives a sense (not only of listing different steps) but also reminds me of the “counting scheme” that often occurs during a lightning storm. When you see the flash of lightning, every 5 seconds thereafter before the thunder is equivalent to 1 mile. I don’t know if that was intentional, but it gave me a sense of anticipation, which was released by instructing the reader to “nap” at the end. What a simple command!