Stress Relief

Light filtered through the windows in Samson’s room, hitting their body and warming them up. The sun radiated heat that made them never want to leave its irresistible warmth. Yet, even still slow with sleep, their brain knew that they had to get up and start the day. They stirred under the sheets, a smile spreading across their face as they looked towards their boyfriend’s form. They stretched over him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. 

“Morning.” They said softly, earning a quiet “Morning” back. They tousled his hair with an adoring smile and got out of bed to get prepared.

With everything taken care of that needed to be in order for them to get through the day, Samson was ready to head out. Their schedule included teaching a meditation class at the park that afternoon. This class was set each week or so, but it was quite lax. They weren’t too hard on people if they missed and newcomers were always welcome. They found it was during the afternoon that people stressed the most, so, of course, it was the optimal time to learn how to take a breather, at least in their opinion. Picking up their drawstring bag and yoga mat, they called out a goodbye to Paolo before exiting the house. The clothes hanging off their form swished as they walked, and their hair blew gently into their face from the breeze. It was a beautiful day and they couldn’t wait to get started.

The park was bustling with its usual suspects; a few joggers, dog walkers, elderly, and so on. They had been coming to this park for so long that they could immediately pick out where they held their yoga sessions. They were by one of the biggest trees in the park so that there would almost always be shade available for breaks from the sun. It was also near a small duck pond so participants were treated to the quiet water flowing and ducks rustling and quacking about which created quite the soothing atmosphere. People were already beginning to gather in their spots by the time they reached the tree. Turns out, there were a lot more people eager to do yoga than they had originally thought when thinking about first teaching classes.

“Good afternoon, everyone.” They called out as those there waved back with a smile. They were very well liked in the community for all the great work they did and their passion in educating about how important protecting the environment was. “We’ll wait a few more minutes for the rest to show up, and then we’ll begin.” They announced, unfurling the mat from their hands onto the grass. It stretched neatly across the ground and they settled down on it, crossing their legs and taking some deep breaths. This was always how they prepared for a class (besides smoking just a tiny bit of weed beforehand to get fully relaxed) and it was a great way to put their mind in the proper spot to be at their best. They focused solely on how the air entered and exited their body, their eyes closed, and head tilted slightly up towards the sky. They slowly let themself relax deeper until they could feel the calm drape over their body like a blanket. That was when they knew they were ready to begin. When they opened their eyes, most of the regulars had shown up, along with a few new people. In all, there were about thirty people at this session today, a good turnout. 

“Welcome, and if you’re new here, I hope you’ll enjoy this experience. Now, we’re gonna start off with something easy. Please, take a seat on your mat and…” Their voice washed over the group, lulling them into a sense of security. Even if they couldn’t get the pose, they were always supportive. No one ever felt hurt or out of their depth at their classes. They did their absolute best to make sure everyone was doing good and nothing felt off. It was Samson’s passion, and all they wanted was to spread the joy of their passion to others, in a non aggressive way of course. 

As they switched into the last few cool-down motions for the day, they let out a sigh as they surveyed the crowd. During the course of the class, a few passersby had dropped in and they were grateful to see that everyone looked at least a bit less stressed than they had before. It delighted them to know that their classes actually did something. It made them feel fulfilled and that what they were doing was worth it. Taking a deep breath, they stood up slowly and rolled their head around. After teaching a class, they always felt a sense of peace that they didn’t feel any other time. It was as if they had all just shared this big bonding moment, even though no one really talked except for them. It created a feeling of pure connection and it was truly magical. They smiled as they looked out over the attendees as they packed up. Some were engaged in polite chatter, while others drifted away. Carefully, they rolled up their mat, tying the string around it to keep it together, and waved goodbye. They were met with a chorus of goodbyes and some thank yous as they strolled out of the park. 

The walk home after was a favorite thing of theirs after a class. The whole world seemed... well they couldn't quite place it. Maybe it was just their mind, but things seemed more at rest, like as if things had aligned that hadn't been before. To put it simply, it was cathartic. That was the only word they could choose to describe it. While on their way back, they stopped by the grocers and picked up a few necessities along with a small bouquet of flowers. They were a mixture of sunflowers, daisies, carnations, and other filler flowers that smelled lovely and that would look perfect on top of their dining room table. They hummed quietly to themself, a cheerful tune with no real substance to it except for being a few notes repeated over and over. Their hooves clacked on the ground and they smiled at the people they passed by. Sometimes, they even got a smile back, which greatly fueled their happy mood. 

   Reaching the door to their house, they shuffled around the objects in their arms until they could manage to sneak the bouquet behind their back and also open the door. Paolo was sitting at their dining table in the kitchen, scrolling through his phone, most likely looking for good songs to suggest to the DJ he helps out. Samson snuck up towards his turned back after softly placing the mat and bag on the floor. 

“Hello.” They whispered into his ear, earning a surprised yelp and a sore look. “Look at what I've picked up.” They revealed the flowers behind them as an apology and Paolo’s eyes instantly softened. 

“They are gorgeous. Alright, I forgive you.” He gave a goofy grin, leaning in and giving Samson a slow kiss. 

“Glad you think so.” They winked, pulling away from their boyfriend and setting out to find a vase for the flowers. 

“So, class went well?” He asked, putting his phone aside and turning the wrong way around in the chair to watch as Samson took care of the flowers. 

“Yeah! It went really good, actually. Lots of people and the weather was wonderful. You should come sometime, everyone finds at least one benefit from meditation.” They said matter of factly, filling a glass vase with water, plopping the flowers in, and carefully carrying them to the table where they placed them in the center. The sunlight gleamed brilliantly off them and it gave the room a bright touch. 

“I promise I’ll come next time.” Paolo said sincerely. “I swear, but you’ll probably have to drag me out of bed.” 

“That can be arranged.” They laughed cheerfully. “You’ll love it, babe, honest. The weather is best during the afternoon.”

“No doubt.” He said with a smile, getting up from the chair. “Now that you’re back, would you wanna hear some songs I found? The beats are insane.” 

“Of course.” They interlocked their hand with their boyfriend’s as he led them over towards the couch in the sitting area. Speakers were already hooked up and Paolo pressed play. The two of them settled onto the couch as the music washed over them. They listened as the notes seemed to flow through their body, electrifying their veins. They loved the effect that music could have and this was a favorite way of theirs to bond with their boyfriend. Samson kissed Paolo on the cheek which quickly turned into a deeper kiss before they broke apart and held each other tighter, not speaking, just listening. A simply sweet way to kick off the rest of the evening.