Sunday, July 17, 2022

 Sunday, July 17, 2022

  I had trouble falling asleep last night. That’s unusual. I was in pain from overdoing it yesterday. I applied Salon Pas and used the acupuncture pen. I was back to the walker in the morning to take as much stress off the injured muscle as possible.

  I meditated for an hour after walking Elsa. The walk was brief in deference to my sore leg. I needed a nap after meditating. As usual, I read on my Kindle before falling asleep. I was still in What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo. While my childhood experience was not comparable to hers (Her parents were seriously nuts, self-centered, and brutal), much of what she writes about complex PSTD resonates with me. I recognized my experience and the resulting behavior I wrestled with and still do. It’s a well-written book that goes back and forth between her personal story, her research on C-PTSD, and the therapies she explored. She finally finds Dr. Ham, an expert in the field, who has a unique approach to dealing with it. My therapist uses a comparable approach. She does not charge $400 an hour. Who’s worth that kind of money?

   In one of my short walks, I discovered if I aimed for the outer age of my left foot and continued following through on the outer edge as I walked, my leg didn’t hurt.   Hmmm! Back to the advice a podiatrist gave me when I was nine. I have revisited that moment in my life repeatedly. I have problems with my feet because of my short first metatarsals. It means that my foot tends to roll inward—this forced overuse of my inner thigh muscles and underuse of the outer ones. When I pushed using the out edge of my heel and the side of the foot, I forced myself to use my external thigh muscles and glutes. It also relieved some stress on the inner muscles, lessening the pain.

  Paulette dropped off Kangen water since my leg was down again. Elsa was disappointed. She loves it when we go there to get the water. Paulette has a cat. That means cat food and cat toys. She particularly likes a little stuffed mouse. She runs around with its tail hanging out of her mouth. She brings the mouse to Paulette to throw as we sit and talk. I love spending time visiting with Paulette. Getting water is a good excuse.

  I heard an announcement on the radio that children were finding it hard to interact with their peers. They are fighting more with each other. They say this is the effect of prolonged isolation during the epidemic. I read this inability to deal well with others was a problem for the elderly due to increased isolation. Now, I discovered it is a result of isolation at any age. We become more intolerant. Ow!