A Little More Feet, an Awful Moment and Hope in Everyday Ramblings

It has been mostly overcast and cooler, a more typical June weather pattern for us that makes the flower colors pop in the gloom.

This is the quote about shoes from the Dynamic Aging book…

“Clogs, mules, and other slip-on shoes may seem like a safer option—no having to bend over or balance to tie them on—but in order to keep them on, you need to clench your toes. This can result in stiff and shortened muscles in your toes and ankles. Choose shoes that securely connect the upper portion of the shoe to the lower and that stay on your feet without your having to tense up your body to keep them on.”

I see that in Kes’s poor feet. Stiff and painful toes with bone spurs and weak tight ankles. My students are hearing a lot about feet lately. For me as a teacher this is a good thing as it helps me work more effectively with them as they tell me stories about their feet.

Last night we did the whole class with our mats up against the generous wall space the studio has to offer as I was focusing on balance and wanted them to feel secure while they did that.

No wonder we retire! As we get older maintaining our basic faculties seems like a full time job. Well that and being a grandparent for most of us.

Tuesday night I went in to have my teeth cleaned. I am once again being asked to use the antiseptic rinse that stains one’s teeth so I was happy to have that done and I like all the hygienists in the Faculty Practice. They are very very good at what they do, but this time the experience was disturbing because there was this older man, originally from Iran who was in the chair next to me seeing his dentist because his dentures didn’t fit.

They didn’t fit because he wasn’t cleaning his mouth.

As they were working on him, he spit and gagged and whined and cried out and yelled and was generally acting like an incredibly difficult partially deaf spoiled brat. There was a woman who was his caretaker, not sure if she was his wife, sitting on the floor next to the chair I was in typing a long email to his children so that they could explain to him in Farsi that he needs to take care of his mouth and how. There was another man; I don’t know his role, sitting behind me involved in some way.

Meanwhile you know I can’t talk to my hygienist because we are in the eye of the maelstrom and getting one’s teeth cleaned is much better than most procedures but still isn’t, umm, relaxing…

It was awful.

I know, I am spoiled to have this kind of care but still… One time when I was there in the waiting room there was a man who looked like he was normally well heeled looking guy in prison garb with shackles and a police officer waiting to see someone. I am sure there is a story there…your tax dollars at work…

It is going to be such a relief when I am through all of this.

I finally had the meeting with my church coordinator and her cohort about running the class through the church. She is “retiring” in a few weeks (She says she is happy about this) and the whole church staff is going to be realigned. But they want to still run 8 weeks of summer classes through the program.

We agreed to raise my prices. And they are going to provide scholarships for those who can’t afford the higher prices. The going price for a downtown yoga class right now is $18 a piece. With the church’s sponsorship I have been charging $5 to church members and me thinks a few of them are taking that for granted…

We’ll work it out. Now at least I have some information and as the summer unfolds I will learn about Fall and what is happening there.

There are flyers and note cards and maybe even mailers in my future, oh my.

Remind me to write about the Apothecary Ball will you?

Last updated June 01, 2017