Adam told me that Uber informed him that our car insurance had expired. At first, I thought, it's just that we haven't received our new cards. Then while I was walking Elsa, I thought, "Yikes! Maybe there is a problem with the automatic payment due to all the changes in the accounts". I called this morning. The bill was paid on the date due. I don't know what the problem was. I sighed in relief, particularly since Kathrin had taken the car to go to Bikram this morning while I stayed home.
While I walked Elsa, I applied a movement modification I had used before. I placed my heel firmly on the ground. Then gluing the heel down, I pull the heel back. Since the heel couldn't move, my hips moved forward. I have 'discovered' this trick before, but then I forgot it and rediscovered it. This is a movement trick that others can use because it is symmetrical to start with. Some of the things I do are designed to straighten out my crooked body. However, if someone is flatfooted, it is possible that pulling the heel back, as I described, may hyperextend the knee, which can lead to damage.
My hope in including this material about movement sequencing and small moves is to encourage others to recognize that they are not stuck with permanent pain. They don't have to rely on strong medication or surgery; there is another option. Yes, it requires time and attention, but it can be lots of fun for those who are open to it. Sadly, physical therapists are not trained or were not trained when I saw them in modifying daily movement patterns and changing body mechanics. Even my chiropractor believes that her repeated adjustments should solve all body problems. She thinks she makes an adjustment, and the patient automatically changes the way they move. Good luck! An adjustment versus the memory of the nervous system built up over years and years and years. Habit is always the winner. We have to think of making small changes in the way we do things if we are going to overcome the problems our bodies present to us successfully. It isn't just age. Age is important because it means we have been doing it wrong longer. Each time we make a movement, right or wrong, we strengthen the neurological connection. Each time we make a movement, right or wrong, we use our bodies correctly or incorrectly. I figured the body is a fantastic design. If you were born with a healthy body and are having problems now, you've been doing something wrong. Correct it!
On the other hand, be careful. Do not follow anyone's instructions without watching what happens in your body. Discomfort is okay; sharp pain is not.
I slept most of the day. Church exhausts me. I’m not sure if it’s because I don’t connect to the service, I am more aware of Mike’s absence since he would normally be on the altar, or if, as I experienced today, there is energy bearing down on me, more than I can cope with. Or, as I suspect as I’m writing this, I had an upset stomach and needed the rest. We’ll see what it’s like next week.
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Musings: I'm putting this separately so those who are not interested can choose not to read it.
Brooks's idea of good character. Eisenhower and Day.
I'm reading Brooks's book The Road to Character. He describes the life stories of heroic people who were committed to leading moral lives making significant contributions. So far, I have read the first two stories about Eisenhower and Dorothy Day. Unfortunately, the examples he uses are all extreme. They are extreme because the people he selected rose to great prominence and extreme because at least Eisenhower and Day are people who dealt with intense emotional issues. What about the rest of us who want to live ordinary lives with peace and commitment? After reading his stories, I am ready to throw in the towel. If I have to make the extreme choices Eisenhower and Day made, I'll pass. There must be a way to be a small person with an ordinary life and have a profound commitment to live a moral life doing the best for those who we touch as we pass this way.
