This morning on the bus to work, the old lady sitting alone in front of me did a funny little ritual that captured everyone's attention. She rotated both hands in a circular motion from her lap to above-head level, just like a child's initial dance moves. Then, her hands did a knot-tying motion and sank back into her lap, where the whole cycle would start again. Each time she did this, she would increase the number of imaginary knots tied. When she was finally satisfied, she flapped her hands down like a descending bird and stayed absolutely still.

I wondered if she was praying, and if the imaginary knots were dead knots.