Wednesday, March 1, 2023

 Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Elsa refused to go out for the second time when I called her to the doggie door first thing in the morning. Given that she usually shows no resistance, I’m inclined to believe she’d already done her business. I have never heard her go out. I hoped was right. That would be fantastic. I wished I had some proof. It would make me feel better.

   Walking up the hill this morning, I got in one hundred seventy fast steps. I applied what I learned during the stress test. I took in big breaths of air. I had been counting out loud before. I still did the counting but would squeeze in that breath. I could have gone further but chose not to.

   I had an acupuncture appointment today. I get it once every two weeks. She worked on that area just below my left ribs, which my PT paid particular attention to. I injured that area when I was ten. I knew I had a tender spot there in my twenties. Today, the acupuncturist asked me if the area was black and blue after the initial injury. I don’t remember any sign of the trauma at the time. I was surprised. I landed hard on a tent stake. It wasn’t one of the modern plastic ones; it was a two-inch diameter piece of wood. 

   I spoke to Adolescent D’s mother today. She told me he had become very interested in finance. Will he become a financial wizard? Anything is possible. His mother also forwarded a note from his teacher, complimenting him on a video project. He shines in this area.

   I asked her if she had heard him read. Yes, she was amazed at his improvement. When he wanted to know what something said, he asked his mother to read it. Now, he reads it to her and asks if he’s correct. She also told me that she used to sit by his side as he did his homework in case he needed help. Now, he asked her to leave because he found her presence distracting.

    She also told me he guesses words. Isn’t that what I taught him to do? No, no, and no. She said he uses the letters. I said he uses the first letter, not all of them. She agreed. This is what bad readers do. Good readers take all the letters into consideration. I told her to remind him to read every syllable in a word, every blessed one, before saying the whole word. Then, and only then, make a guess as to what the word is if the pronunciation doesn’t make sense.

   Wright spoke about modules in Why Buddhism is Right. These modules are the conflicting voices in our heads. There’s one voice saying have another piece of chocolate. See how good it tastes! The other voice says, “You’re gaining weight. Cut down on the chocolate.”  These two voices are in two different parts of the brain. Wright refers to them as modules. We often battle the one encouraging us to eat that chocolate. We are told to strengthen the one arguing against eating chocolate. It’s called willpower. Wright says strengthening one module is one way to deal with those urges. The other way is to weaken the grip of the ‘chocolate’ module. Here’s where Buddhism comes in. You sit with the craving until it weakens. You never eat the chocolate. If you give in, you’re encouraging that module. The craving does weaken if you sit with it correctly. Here’s my problem. I don’t want to weaken it too much. I enjoy my indulgence. Unfortunately, that still doesn’t make the chocolate good for me.