I checked the wear pattern on the bottom of my shoes. Very disappointing. It’s the same as it has always been. The right heel is worn down evenly, but the left is completely different. I don’t start the heel strike at the outside of the heel. The embossed print on my Croc is still visible. I am still walking too much on the inside of my left foot instead of using my whole foot.
As I walked, I emphasized a change in the heel strike and walking more on the outer edge of the left foot. I noticed that putting more weight over on the outside edge brought my right foot in line with my left as I walked. The place where I felt the most significant discomfort was not in my hip but in my foot and ankle. I have told bodyworkers that there are problems in the foot and ankle independent of the hip. They pooh-pooh me saying it is all coming from the hip. However, when I stood on my vibrating platform machine, I had no discomfort in the hip area. Instead, I felt in my left calf and ankle.
Yvette was conducting a yoga class as I came home. I could tell because of the cars parked out front. I yelled, “Open says-a-me,’ but got no response. I had a moment of panic; I had to go to the bathroom. Then I heard Yvette’s voice call out, and Scott was at the gate pushing it back.
They had all three of the dogs running around with them in the driveway. Yvette had brought Izzy up with her because she howled when left in the lower yard when she could hear Yvette’s voice in the upper one. The other two dogs got jealous, so today it was everyone, Liner, Izzy, and Little. Elsa joined in, running around with the dogs and making the rounds of the humans to be petted. No one was denied the opportunity. She is so generous.
I thought she might stay outside with the dogs and yogis, but no. The moment I headed for the door, she was right there. She knew full well that it was breakfast time.
After feeding her, I got to work on editing and posting the blog from May 14, 2019. I seem to have some steady readers. Most of them are from the US, but there are surprise visitors from all over the world.
When Yvette was finished with yoga and down in her own quarters, I called her to tell her about the vacuum. She told me she was going to town if I wanted anything. Today I will be going out. I have to pick up my eye medications from Kaiser, lemons, and vinegar from Costco, and some more doggie bags from Target. This will be my first day in the stores since March 14.
She came up to bring me a small spray bottle with alcohol and wipes to clean anything I buy. I showed her how the Hoover worked. My kitchen floor is pretty clean at this point. The water comes up clear, with only a few floating bits. She has three dogs and a cat that drag in yard dirt regularly. Cleaning that floor has been redistributing mud. We are both excited about using the Hoover wet dry vacuum on her floors. We have a date on Saturday to try it out. I want to be there. The difference should be spectacular.
I washed a section of my bedroom floor with the Hoover. Elsa sought refuge in her crate. I have never seen her go into her crate on her own. She was looking at me as if to say, “Who the hell are you? What have you done with my mommy? I’m staying in here until she comes back.” Oh, well. I hope she gets used to the new me. I hope I do, too.
My father’s Socratic approach makes me question my own conclusions. I am often shocked by the information people put out without questioning themselves. I suppose my self-questioning has had some benefits, but it has left me feeling that the work I developed was never enough to be comfortable telling others about it. I always learn something new. It is hard to develop an approach that doesn’t benefit from modification.
After checking out the wear pattern on the soles of my shoes, I changed my walk again. During the day and in the evening walk, the goal was to make a secure heel strike so the pattern on the back of the left shoe would be worn down. I felt twinges in my hip. I took out one of my walking poles to help me with this transition. The objective was to control how much weight to put into the left hip, not avoid placing weight on it altogether. I used the pole in the house during the day and for my before-dinner walk with Elsa. The latter was tricky. How to not get it tangled up in the leash and pull me over? I managed.
Because I had read an article in the Sunday Times about shows that Netflix was going to drop, I started to watch a movie with Ryan Gosling, The Place Beyond the Pines. It was its last day to be available on Netflix. As the show progressed, I switch it off. I’m sure it’s a great movie, but I didn’t need to watch people make a complete mess of their lives. I need distractions, not reminders of how bad life can get.
No comments:
Post a Comment