March 25, 2018 A LITTLE BIT STRONGER

Feeling better. Must be the yoga. It's getting easier NOW that I understand SOME of the LINGO. It's like learning a whole new language. Downward dog--cat cow--plank pose--plow pose--cobra pose--bridge pose--it's MIND BOGGLING. It's not easy BUT nothing worthwhile ever is. I've been wanting to take up yoga for a LONG time and I FINALLY committed.   I'm 10 weeks in and feeling stronger and more flexible every day. Before I started yoga--I was about as flexible as a telephone pole--most runners suffer from this problem--not sure why. Now--I'm twisting and turning my body into strange pretzel-like shapes while breathing at the same time! My balance has also improved-- I'm finally able to HOLD a pose without falling over and breaking my neck.  I've settled into a pretty good routine too.  On my running days--I do a 30 minute full body stretch for flexibility--and when I don't run--I tackle a level II total body workout. I encourage all you runners out there to give YOGA a fair shake--you won't regret it for a minute and your running will improve!

Not sure why I read Gabriel Tallent's debut novel My Absolute Darling but I think it's because I fell in love with the main character--fourteen year old Turtle Alveston on the first page and I had to make sure she was alright. The book was a terrifying nightmare  and  I'm still traumatized three days later. Turtle lives in Northern California near the coast with her paranoid, INSANE, survivalist father--who thinks the world is going to end any day. He has isolated Turtle pretty much from humanity except when she goes to school where all the kids think she's a freak. Her father is a monster. He's physically, emotionally, and verbally abusive--the violence is brutal-- but sadly-- Turtle still loves her father because he's all she has.  After one particularly abusive night, Turtle runs away. While walking through the woods, she meets two high school boys who show her true friendship and kindness. They represent a world that Turtle is unfamiliar with and give her hope that her life can somehow change. Will Turtle find the courage to escape from her father or will fear keep her prisoner forever? Find out when you read this novel for yourself. It's about 420 pages or a 5 mile run that you will not be able to put down--or forget.