‘My body doth protest too much’
While I have never made bones about the fact that I turned Senior Citizen last year, I must admit that with a certain degree of bravado, I also lived in a state of denial — continuing my regimen of daily early morning tennis, and hitting the gym with a trainer three times a week. My guiding philosophy being “As long as the spirit is willing...” and I would conservatively make sure that the hours at the gym would happen in the evening, giving my body time to rest from the hourlong outdoor singles tennis play. In my mind, this was all about maintenance and feeding my body with what it has been used to as a routine for over 15 years. Alas, while the spirit may be willing, my body is not always able; and it was rude awakening time one Friday morning, when due to a scheduled Santa Rosa trip for one of my precious advertisers, I made the mistake of asking my fitness trainer to come to the gym right after my tennis hour.
In the closing reps of my second set of squat lifts, I felt a sharp pain on my lower back area, a seizing of the muscles that felt like they were shouting “Hey! Do you really think you’re still 40 years old?” My lower lumbar muscles loudly complained, froze and shut down, and I had to cut short said gym time, and just hope I could still endure the outof-town drive.
Fatigue, wrong method of lifting where I wasn’t maximizing my legs but depending on my lower back for the lift, or stupidly persisting on the drive with my body stuck in a sitting position for hours? Or just all of the above? Whatever the reason, by Friday evening I felt and walked like a letter C, and every step on uneven terrain would create a wince or muttered invective — my hamstrings joining in on the chorus of anguish. Not fun to be around, as I hated this shadow of frailty and aging that had descended over me.
In desperation, the next morning saw me at St. Luke’s BGC, checking which orthopedic doctor had Saturday clinic. Fortunately, Dr. Victor Gaddi, MD FPOA, could see me, and he scheduled me for two weeks of Physical Rehab, prescribing Arcoxia for the pain. I have not resorted to the pain reliever, thinking it’s better to know there still is pain, as the meds aren’t contributing to my healing. The heat lamp, the ultrasound, the exercises and traction — they’ve all slowly put me on the road to recovery, and I love the staff at St. Luke’s BGC for being patient with my muttered cursing each time pain shoots up while doing the rehab. And stretching will be constantly on my mind when I go back to my regular routine. Am just praying for my body to respond and get back to normal.
Yes, from now on I will consciously forego the Peter Pan attitude, adopting prudence as the better part of valor. Believe me, wincing in pain just to sit, walking around stooped and tired, taking over five minutes just to gingerly bend down and tie shoelaces — these are all no fun at all. And I hope this will be a lesson for those, who like me, have steadfastly refused to slow down. That’s all fine and your choice, but just be certain it’s done with sobering thoughts of reality.
Read Europa
The three novels today come exclusively from European authors, two from Sweden, and one from France. Swede Jonasson works within the milieu of comedy, while fellow countryman Sund is into crime fiction. Older worked in global NGO’s before making the leap to writer.
Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All by Jonas Jonasson (available at National Book Store) What happens when an underworld hitman, a defrocked female pastor, and a love hotel receptionist band together to turn the hitman’s “business” into a commercial venture? Well, the answer can be found in this latest from Sweden’s sweet irony master, Jonas Jonasson. After giving us The Hundred-Year- Old
Man and The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden, Jonasson now sets his sights on organized religion and personality cults via this tale of questionable redemption, fraud in the name of religion, love in unexpected underworld places, and the absurdity of modern times! Throughout it all, there’s Jonasson’s trademark wry humor to propel the storyline. The novel that will make you look at churches and Santa Claus in a new light.
Infomocracy by Malka Older (available on Amazon.com) In a near future where nations no longer exist, Older conjures up a world of centenals and microdemocracies. The worldwide elections are looming and in an environment where Information is king, what secrets there still are, how it can influence the outcome of the elections, and how it is gathered, processed and either used or withheld, is all paramount. The aim is to be that party that becomes the world’s Supermajority, a position the Heritage party has held for some time. Our view into this future world is supplied by three key individuals — one working for a political party out to make its mark, one who is entrenched in the ruling party, and one who works for Information, a global business concern whose raison d’être is to keep everyone “informed.” Taut thriller with political setting.
The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund (available at National Book Store) A big hit in Sweden and Europe, The Crow
Girl as sold here is actually three novels compressed into one big volume. A Swedish duo writing crime thrillers and trying to follow the path of the late Steig Larsson, Sund attempts to blow the lid off the underbelly of socialist Swedish society, where corruption and institutionalized indecency reign. Ostensibly about a serial killer of immigrant children, the novel touches on torture, child prostitution and murder, all instigated by the alumni of a prestigious school that produces statesmen and captains of industry. As the veils of conspiracy descend, we are shown how effective the cover-up has been over decades. Our main protagonists are a female detective superintendent and a female psychopathologist/ therapist. Dense reading guaranteed.