Epiphany this morning at the breakfast table: Good primate that I am, I love to greedily slurp up the exquisitely, translucently juicy ruby arils of the bejeweled pomegranate. As I chew the seeds, my tongue is splashed by short bursts of cool, tart-sweet juice and my teeth crunch the crisp seeds. As I eat, I wish that the juicy sweetness of the pomegranate's nectar would last forever. But the truth is that it's gone as soon as I swallow and the only way I can make it last is to keep sucking the sweet seeds off the bitter white pith as fast as I can.
This is like life - if you don't pay attention to what's happening, it's gone forever, only a memory. You can crave or anticipate more of life's sweetness but the only thing that you'll ever really have is the thrill of the "ride" at the exact moment that it is happening - then, it's done, gone, finis.
Remember this the next time you scrub the toilet!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Physical Therapy Capers
Been to two physical therapy appointments this week at Jemez Physical Therapy. Saw Lori the first time. She evaluated my gait by watching me walk back and forth. She said it looks like my right leg crosses the midline of my body. Maybe that's why I sometimes kick my right inner ankle with my left foot when I walk. She tested my hips for weakness by having me raise my legs against resistance (her hands). Surprisingly, my flabby inner thighs are stronger than my outer thighs. She gave me an exercise called the Clam Shell which is a lying hip abduction with a lateral rotation. In general, it would be good if I'd do more to strengthen my legs. I NEVER do any squats or lunges because my knees creak in an awful cacophony. I do lying leg strengthening exercises for my hamstrings and quads but could be more religious about it.
She told me to be sure to press my toes into the ground when I walk. I try at home but largely ignore my gait when I'm out hiking.
She told me to do Toe Curls and Toe Pick-Ups to help strengthen my arch. My toe flexors are already pretty strong and I'm not overly enthused about these exercises but am faithfully doing them.
Lori ended the visit with ultrasound and massage of my foot and suggested that I make another appointment for more ultrasound and massage. The idea is to help heal my posterior tibial tendon.
Today I saw Glenn and he did ultrasound and massage and also used electrical stimulation. I found the electricity idea a bit scary but thought I would give it a try. He hooked me up to 4 electrodes - one on the bottom of my foot, one on the right top of my foot, one about 6 inches above my inner ankle and another on the other side of my leg. He turned up the juice until I felt "little fingers" walking on the skin of my foot and lower leg, along with a creepy, crawly sensation. Then he let me control how much juice I gave my leg. It felt OK so I went up to 17.
After the appointment, I hiked for my exercise and was mostly OK but when I was hiking mildly downhill, my leg felt weak and I had to really slow down. I also felt very hungry. After supper, I felt better and feel perfectly normal now. I'll have to evaluate this electric business.
She told me to be sure to press my toes into the ground when I walk. I try at home but largely ignore my gait when I'm out hiking.
She told me to do Toe Curls and Toe Pick-Ups to help strengthen my arch. My toe flexors are already pretty strong and I'm not overly enthused about these exercises but am faithfully doing them.
Lori ended the visit with ultrasound and massage of my foot and suggested that I make another appointment for more ultrasound and massage. The idea is to help heal my posterior tibial tendon.
Today I saw Glenn and he did ultrasound and massage and also used electrical stimulation. I found the electricity idea a bit scary but thought I would give it a try. He hooked me up to 4 electrodes - one on the bottom of my foot, one on the right top of my foot, one about 6 inches above my inner ankle and another on the other side of my leg. He turned up the juice until I felt "little fingers" walking on the skin of my foot and lower leg, along with a creepy, crawly sensation. Then he let me control how much juice I gave my leg. It felt OK so I went up to 17.
After the appointment, I hiked for my exercise and was mostly OK but when I was hiking mildly downhill, my leg felt weak and I had to really slow down. I also felt very hungry. After supper, I felt better and feel perfectly normal now. I'll have to evaluate this electric business.
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