Shape Shifters

When, physically, socially, mentally or emotionally, one gets under some sort of stress, one might imagine a better position/location for their body to be in at that time, which may in some way be soothing, or comforting. However, and unfortunately, social codes (and probably evolutionary instincts) tell us it is inappropriate to curl up into a ball in line in the cafeteria to relieve gas. It's not right to face the corner at a bar. It would be alarming to see a young woman lying next to her bike in a grassy knoll between a parking lot and apartment complex, would it not? Imagine all the positions you imagine yourself taking to feel better. Imagine everyone in the positions that they, on whatever occasion for whatever reason, picture themselves in. Weddings might be crowded with people under tables and rested foreheads in palms with elbows on knees. Bodies everywhere would be sprawled, tucked, extended, curled, cuddled, and hidden. In the privacy of one's own home, one's limbs become less controlled, his or her spine bends and twists more naturally. It would not at all be unreasonable to suppose that sometimes people's feet touch heads, or maybe one's hands are simply much more often resting under or on his/her buttocks, stomach, or breasts. These imagined public and real private positions are, in a way, the most vulnerable forms our body can take. It is interesting that, in another way, these are our most comfortable, or perhaps even our favourite, shapes for ourselves.