I have been running around barefoot all summer long. I love barefoot as I can really feel dirt or grass or carpet between my toes. I love walking from a warm carpet to a cool kitchen floor on a hot summer's day. And most of all, I love digging my toes in the sand while sitting on the beach, watching the family surf the waves.
So when I recently put on a pair of socks for the first time in 4 months, I was pleasantly surprised at how wonderful they felt. I mean really surprised. They were soft and warm and cushiony in my gardening shoes. Ohhhh...... how sweet it is.
My daughter #2 knows the sweetness of socks. Last winter she posted a sign on the refrigerator door. To it was pinned one gray sock with the following message:
"Lost Sock. Please help me find this sock. Reward, $6.79. Very important sock. My feet are cold."
I went to my chiropractor, Dr. Dana Zappala (drdanazappala.com) today for an adjustment. I noticed she was wearing Uggs. Now mind you, it is 89 degrees outside and Los Angeles is headed for another Santa Ana dry hot wind with temps spiking up to 101 degrees.
Why the Uggs, I ask? Apparently her home was fogged in this morning and she was chilled. She wanted to feel snuggly and cozy and warm up her bones. It threw us both into "wanting winter" so we spoke about oncoming winter fog, cold winds and socks.
Her eyes lite up and she said, pointing to her Uggs, "I am wearing socks and it feel sooooo good!" She knows the sweetness of socks.
With winter coming on, I decided to match up all the irregulars in my drawers. Had 26 socks and only got to six full pairs. Well I guess the washing machine and dryer also know the sweetness of socks.
By the way, D#2 found the sock herself and kept her reward.
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Sunday, September 20, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
A Viking Perspective.
It all a matter of perspective. A point of view is completely influenced by the sum total of all personal experiences. A communications professor once explained it this way - everything you have every said and done has lead you to this exact moment in time.
Knowing that all medicine is influenced by that same concept, I listen to my French cousin Claude while he describes unimaginable pain while walking. He tells me he can't walk more than 300 feet before needing a wheelchair or electric cart.
This is not my cousin. For all the years I have known him, he never sits still. He is always on the go; dancing (his big love), traveling, surfing, and walking all over Paris. There are many other physical feats of wonder and he is a man who lives to the fullest. To be relegated to a wheelchair is a cruel joke on such a lively man.
But see this is where the matter of perspective takes over. His diagnosis, delivered by a French Doctor, in a French hospital was simply this: Vikings!
His type hip degeneration was only seen before in the descendants of the Vikings.
If you read the previous posts, you will immediately know that this is not possible. The antecedents of the Michel clan are strictly French, Dutch and German. Not Viking. So why the declaration of a most nebulous genetic history on the part of a French Doctor?
Sum total of everything ever experienced or said by this French Doctor! A point of view influenced by the very geographical location of this French Dr.
In the US, it would have been blamed (yes we Americans love to blame) on sports. In China, blocked chi or heat or cold or bad feng shui.
Now let's give this French doctor a break, shall we? He is limited by his lack of exposure of people from around the world, from many different tribes, with a variety of aliments "never before seen, except in the case of..."
This got me thinking about perspective, point of view and the influences on our lives via exposure to that which we know nothing about.
More about this in the next post.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Family Follow Up...
Our family reunion left us all with the feeling of new found friends. But the key to really continuing the connection is follow up. Reaching out to each other and sharing our daily lives.
In times gone by, pre-email, there was letter writing. A lot of letter writing. In fact, entire biographies of famous-once-they're-dead people have been written solely on the basis of their letters to friends, family and business associates. They are often referred to as "treasure troves."
Communication with other humans, distant and near, is a biological need. I think it's a DNA driven activity that is fourth in line after breathing, drinking and eating. Before sex, before safety, before being warm. I think once paper became common and writing ubiquitous, letter writing became the de facto medium to communicate.
Email is my medium and Facebook makes it easy. To keep in touch. To follow up. To make friends.
So I thought I would share with you some of the emails going back and forth between my newly discovered Belgian cousins and myself. I have deliberately left the misspellings in place as they would be in a written letter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From NR after seeing the pictures of the fires in Los Angeles:
Waow, that's some smoke you have over there. Not too hard to breath, even with the Jackson mask on? (I had mentioned how I wore a mask a la Michael Jackson when driving around) How is Gabby doing now that she is back?
Did you take pictures of the fires at night? I've only seen the aftermath of these fires and even, I think I can't imagine how it feels to watch it all burn. I'm glad you're safe...
Here it was the first day of school and everybody is back to work. Welcome back traffic and bad weather!! Yesterday it was nice and hot, today it's raining raining raining. Sometimes I think I would prefer fires and earthquakes over the previsibility of our weather!
One of my collegue will be shortly leaving the center and I'll miss him, cause he makes me laugh! Never enough laughter, I'll say! And tomorrow I'll have to call my ex boyfriend for a work question. I haven't talked to him since we've split in november so that's gonna be weird.
and that's the brussels 's report!
N
~~~~~~~~~~
My reply:
The fires are across the Valley from us. We are covered in smoke and have had to keep the doors and windows closed for three days. The news says we have approx. 2 weeks more of fire as they cannot control it. And it should burn! No one let the natural fires burn off this dry bushes for 60 years!
Luckily, G is away for the weekend with her friend Madelaine and not breathing smoke. She has asthma!
At night we can count the different areas on fire by watching the flames. It is beautiful and shows nature's power. Reminds me that we are all here temporarily.
As always California is a land of extremes. I am sure our winter will be filled with torrential rains and earthquakes. Isn't this place fun to live?
Voila le report de California. Bis a toi. Laurelle
In times gone by, pre-email, there was letter writing. A lot of letter writing. In fact, entire biographies of famous-once-they're-dead people have been written solely on the basis of their letters to friends, family and business associates. They are often referred to as "treasure troves."
Communication with other humans, distant and near, is a biological need. I think it's a DNA driven activity that is fourth in line after breathing, drinking and eating. Before sex, before safety, before being warm. I think once paper became common and writing ubiquitous, letter writing became the de facto medium to communicate.
Email is my medium and Facebook makes it easy. To keep in touch. To follow up. To make friends.
So I thought I would share with you some of the emails going back and forth between my newly discovered Belgian cousins and myself. I have deliberately left the misspellings in place as they would be in a written letter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From NR after seeing the pictures of the fires in Los Angeles:
Waow, that's some smoke you have over there. Not too hard to breath, even with the Jackson mask on? (I had mentioned how I wore a mask a la Michael Jackson when driving around) How is Gabby doing now that she is back?
Did you take pictures of the fires at night? I've only seen the aftermath of these fires and even, I think I can't imagine how it feels to watch it all burn. I'm glad you're safe...
Here it was the first day of school and everybody is back to work. Welcome back traffic and bad weather!! Yesterday it was nice and hot, today it's raining raining raining. Sometimes I think I would prefer fires and earthquakes over the previsibility of our weather!
One of my collegue will be shortly leaving the center and I'll miss him, cause he makes me laugh! Never enough laughter, I'll say! And tomorrow I'll have to call my ex boyfriend for a work question. I haven't talked to him since we've split in november so that's gonna be weird.
and that's the brussels 's report!
N
~~~~~~~~~~
My reply:
The fires are across the Valley from us. We are covered in smoke and have had to keep the doors and windows closed for three days. The news says we have approx. 2 weeks more of fire as they cannot control it. And it should burn! No one let the natural fires burn off this dry bushes for 60 years!
Luckily, G is away for the weekend with her friend Madelaine and not breathing smoke. She has asthma!
At night we can count the different areas on fire by watching the flames. It is beautiful and shows nature's power. Reminds me that we are all here temporarily.
As always California is a land of extremes. I am sure our winter will be filled with torrential rains and earthquakes. Isn't this place fun to live?
Voila le report de California. Bis a toi. Laurelle
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