Monthly Archives: November 2015

Citius, Altius, Fortius!

Posted on by
6

November Gratitude Shorts, Day 8

Every day I live in awe of the astounding miracle that is the human body. It is the quintessential integrated machine.   Almost every part serves a unique and essential purpose in normal daily function, and the parameters for such function are incredibly narrow.  But take something out, wound something else, or trash multiple systems at once, and the whole assembly adapts around the insults, automatically, without any action or awareness on our part.  The body’s compensatory mechanisms exemplify the resilience and tenacity of nature, no doubt about it.

Tonight I’m simply awestruck by how far we can push those parameters of normal function. I just watched my beloved Denver Broncos lose to the Indianapolis Colts in a nail-biter.  [Really, it could have gone either way (she exclaims wholeheartedly)!] On every play, players collide like oncoming bullet trains.  They dart and cut with the precision of adolescent gazelles.  They launch their bodies several feet, in almost any direction and orientation, in a fraction of a second, chasing the erratic movements of that oddly shaped ball.  They weigh an average of 250 pounds, let’s say, yet they can sprint faster than anyone I know—talk about overcoming inertia!  I remember a video replay this season showing a running back positively defying gravity—bolting full speed while the length of his body made a 30 degree angle with the ground.  And I’m proud when I can hold a side plank for 30 seconds, pfft.  Tonight I saw a defensive back grab and throw Peyton Manning to the ground, where he then skidded about 5 feet.  I mean Peyton is a formidable man, and this guy made him look almost like Raggedy Andy.  How on earth can they perform all these feats, over and over again, and not die?

It’s not just football players (and I know the dark side of football, trust me). I think of Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Dana Torres and others, and I marvel at the human body’s capacity for ‘citius, altius, fortius!’  That Olympic motto of, “Faster, higher, stronger!” calls us to push our outer limits, defy the boundaries of what we think we can do.  I’ve only begun to strengthen my core (hint—it all starts in the glutes, my friends!).  I aspire to my first real chin-up.  I am proud that I can hold my planks strong for 30 seconds, sometimes more!  These athletes inspire me to fuel and train, not just diet and exercise.  I don’t have to be one of them.  I just know I can be like them.  And I thank each and every one of them for showing the rest of us how it’s done.

How Health Begets Health

Posted on by
19

November Gratitude Shorts, Day 7

Today I really give thanks for my health, and for that of my family.

As the kids and I sat waiting to get their flu vaccines this morning, I heard someone blow their nose. It was that thick mucus blowing that feels, at the same time, both gross and gratifying. I took a deep breath through my unobstructed nostrils and looked happily at my uninfected children.

Lately I’ve had some knee swelling and pain, probably resulting from a bike crash last month and then over-zealous running the following week. It’s slowly improving, but has taken up disproportionate space in my consciousness for a couple of weeks. This morning I forgot how my chronic back and neck pain have drastically improved. The heel pain I’ve had for the past year is 80% better since I started rolling my foot on a golf ball this week. I’m actually healthy, and improving all over the place!  So why do my thoughts circle so much more around what’s wrong than what’s right?  I know the teleological basis for this; it’s more of a rhetorical question.

Whenever a virus knocks me down, I appreciate my health the most. Oh, to breathe through my nose and lay flat without feeling like my head and lungs will at once collapse and explode!  To move between routine activities so effortlessly, rather than like dragging a fifty ton boulder uphill through thick fog!

Muffins, croissants, cupcakes and chai lattes tempted me coyly during our post-shot cafe visit today. Thankfully, my renewed awareness of robust health strengthened my resolve to protect it, and I resisted, this time. So maybe if I practice specific gratitude for my health more often, I will make healthier life choices more easily? Can’t hurt to try!

The Marvel of Words

Posted on by
11

November Gratitude Shorts, Day 6

Today I give thanks for the gifts of language. To have such a vast array of words, in so many languages from around the world, to express our ideas, thoughts, and feelings—how magnificent!

My friend tells me a story about an exasperating conversation with her boyfriend. I start to remember a similar encounter with my husband.  Before long we’re laughing together, saying, “Yes!  That’s exactly how I feel!”

I read a blog here on WordPress where the author has written my thoughts better than I ever could have. Articles I find on Facebook, my friends’ posts, books that I read or listen to—words are what connect us.  By the way, audiobooks are my new favorite thing, especially when read by the authors. The Art of Possibility, Start With Why, Bossypants, Leaders Eat Last, Rising Strong, Big Magic—it’s like driving to work or sipping coffee in the intimate company of these amazing writers, sharing their divine truths with just me.

There is almost always a precise expression for our experiences:  Queasy. Slothful.  Euphoric.  Hung over.  Resonant.  Cosmic.  Mind-blowing.  Oblivious.

Then there are figures of speech that perfectly capture a concept:

Peeing in the ocean.

Needle in a haystack.

Mess with the bull…

Bite thy tongue.

Own your shit. 

The only other language I know well is Mandarin, and I often find myself thinking of phrases that have no English equivalents. For instance, “shang nao jing” literally means “wound brain scripture.”  It’s used when we feel severely mentally taxed—but trust me, ‘mentally taxed’ just sounds lame in comparison, and does not capture the full meaning.  One of my favorites, “yuan fen,” loosely translates to “fate; destiny that ties people together.”  The Chinese is much more elegant and efficient.  Similarly, my slack foreign grasp of the meanings of “ohm” and “ubuntu” probably fall miserably short of their native speakers’ understanding.

But no matter, language bonds us. I don’t paint or play an instrument.  Though I appreciate art and music, they are not my media for relationship.  The most rewarding moments at work are always when I’m talking with my patients—hearing their stories, getting to know them, relating.  It’s probably no accident that I ended up in primary care, where every encounter carries such potential for rare connection—through words.  And I’m forever grateful for the privilege.