We do a million sit-ups in kickboxing class. It gives me lots of time to ponder all kinds of interesting phenomenon on the ceiling.
One phenomenon that is the mysterious metal fixtures you always find in drop ceilings. I always wonder what they're for.
Metal ceiling fixtures also tend to "pick up" the colors of the floor. Our dojo has one of those soft interlocking puzzle mat floors, striped in red, yellow, blue and green. Metal parts reflect this, looking red or blue depending on what stripe they're over. Round things sometimes even reflect in a radiating pattern.
In the new dojo (Tokyo Joe's moved down a couple of storefronts a few months ago), I usually lie under a large double vent of some sort, with a screen covering it. The colors were so beautiful, I thought someone had spray painted it--magenta, turquoise blue, purple. I was impressed Paul had paid such attention to detail in decorating the dojo. It's not like him. (You must realize the only decorative plant in the studio is six feet tall, a single stalk with a sort of top-knot of leaves on top. Paul says it's named "Steve". I call it the Dr. Seuss plant.)
Finally, I realized it was the same effect--the vent was reflecting the floor and slightly blending the colors for some reason, resulting in more exotic colors than usual.
Yesterday morning, I commented on the effect to my sensei (while doing sit-ups.) I told him how stupid I felt when I realized it wasn't painted but simply reflecting off the floor.
He was totally baffled. He practically lives in the dojo, so I was surprised he hadn't noticed.
But no one else had, either. Turns out the screen effectively blocks the effect if you stand even a few feet to one side. You have to be exactly underneath the vent to see the rainbow of colors.
Someone said, "I can't believe you noticed that!" And Nichole, my partner that day, said admiringly, "You see beauty in everything!"
