March 14, 2019 SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD

Pedicures. Manicures. Not sure why but they've NEVER been my thing. My fingernails are always a mess and I actually bury my toes in the sand at the beach because my feet are so YUK. I can't stand to look at them AND I'm too embarrassed for anyone else to look at them either-- let alone soak--scrub--clip or file THEM. DISGUSTING. I've NEVER had a massage either--that is until the other day. I have a THING about people touching me if I don't know them. YUP. I'VE GOT A LOT OF ISSUES. Lucky for me--one of my yoga teachers is a massage therapist. SO--I took the LEAP and scheduled a Thai Deep Tissue Massage EVEN THOUGH I didn't  have ANY idea what that meant. She literally spent 2 HOURS pressing and kneading EVERY MUSCLE in my body. She stretched--poked--prodded me from head to toe-- to improve my circulation--increase my joint mobility because I'm about as flexible as the TIN MAN--and relieve the chronic pain in my hamstring. After my massage, I felt as light as a feather. Seriously. I still feel all stretched out and SO much more flexible too. Kudos Kim--can't wait to do it again. Only wish I could feel this good about my feet!
Just finished Lisa Genova's new book Every Note Played where sadly one of the main characters is diagnosed with ALS and only wishes he could feel his feet. Richard Evan's is a 45 year old famous concert pianist who has just been diagnosed with ALS. He is in denial and feels alone in the world as he and his wife of  20 years have recently divorced. Karina, his ex-wife,  is an equally talented pianist who originally moved to America from Poland to study piano but fell in love with Richard instead. Richard and Karina eventually marry, have a daughter named Grace, and Karina puts her career on hold as Richard tours the country, and sacrifices his family for the love of his piano. After Karina hears that Richard has ALS from a mutual friend, she is torn because Richard was her husband for twenty years and is still Grace's father. This is a well written, researched look at the grim reality of ALS. It's about flawed characters, regret and forgiveness too. What makes this book so good is that Lisa Genova is a Dr. of Neuroscience who specializes in diseases and disorders of the brain and although this is a work of fiction, Genova deftly spells out the cruelty and unfairness of this frightening disease that has taken too many lives. This book is about 320 pages--3.5 mile run--worth every minute.