Repeat after me. Repeat after first application. Finished a shower and was drying off when I realized my hands were not really my own at the time. They were on some sort of repeat cycle. First rub head with towel. Right hand moves up under towel and pull down across top of left arm. Left hand does the same as right over left arm. Hands repeat outward motion with an upward swing to dry forearms. As my hands worked the towel I moved to an out of body spot. I noticed that each motion was involuntary and stealthily efficient. At some point I had learned how to dry myself and eventually the process was memorized by my muscles and my brain was free to move elsewhere. I probably do this in exactly the same way (with minor variations for the new things I find over the years) each time. I thought of the elaborate ritual of the hockey team whacking the goalies pads in the exact same order and in all the obscure places in order to avoid bad luck. Goalies taps left post and then right. Skates into left corner. Looks at the clock. Never different. Drying yourself after a shower is perhaps more complex. It struck me that I had probably started my day this way and that the idea that came to me for the song of the had come during the drydown. In all these muscle memorized periods I was free to travel off to a more valuable space. Sure
