The Art Of Relaxation

The activities of Camden Vale Girls Primary did not go unnoticed. Within a few days the town of Camden Vale was a community in transformation.

Husband’s returning from work expecting a kiss on the cheek and a tasty dinner, instead found their wives doing handstands in the kitchen or living rooms.

“It relaxes me,” they all said.

At the town’s Aged-Care centre, Septuagenarians and Octogenarians were pushing away their sticks and their frames and had taken to tumble turning in order to get around.

Alarmed, the nurses had hop-scotched their way to the head doctor’s office only to find him doing a handstand on his desk.

“It relaxes me,” he said.

At the local Women’s Auxiliary the leading ladies of Camden Vale society had shed their dignity and had begun cartwheeling with glee. When they were done they each executed a perfect handstand.

“It relaxes us,” they all said.

By Saturday shoppers at the supermarket had formed a Conga line. The shoppers eventually began Conga-ing so fast that the checkout girls could no longer check out. So they simply stopped and did a handstand instead.

“It relaxes us,” they explained.

At the local church an entire wedding party variously cartwheeled, tumble turned and back flipped down the aisle. The local parish priest was so shocked to see the bride do a perfect three-point landing after a difficult back flip that he climbed down from the altar and did a handstand.

“It relaxes me,” he said.

Meanwhile at the sports ground, the Camden Vale First XV were facing a huge defeat by fierce rivals Wilson’s Heath. The problem lay with the fact that none of the Camden Vale players were able to make a tackle whilst performing a backflip.

Camden Vale were spared the embarrassment of defeat when the referee refused to blow the whistle to start the second half and instead did a handstand in the centre of the field.

“It relaxes me,” he said.

At a loss both teams shrugged their shoulders and performed hand stands themselves.

“Your right,” they all said. “This is relaxing.”

On Sunday the sun shone down as Camden Vale as normal and shone through Sierra Waterman’s window as normal. Outside the birds sang as normal. And at the end of her bed her cat Snap was snoozing as he normally liked to do.

Sierra jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed. She then cartwheeled her way through the house, out the front door, down the front path, out the front gate and down the street.

As she cartwheeled down the street she passed families tumble turning their way to church. She turned the corner and kept going, passing by a large family Conga-ing their way to park to take the dog for a back flip.

At the park she spotted a large group of Camden Vale-ites all doing the Electric Bugaloo. And as she cartwheeled her way past the Aged-Care home she noticed doctors, nurses, patients alike doing handstands on the front lawn.

“It relaxes us,” she could hear them say.

And on she went, when, for no apparent reason, she simply stopped and started to walk normally.

“Oh!” said the townspeople. “Is it over?”