Journal

Already?

Call it "no news is good news."  I'm busy with school and with the massage class.  I gave a whole bunch of massages last week.  Was asked to do chair massage at a party for a woman who just had a book published (and I got a free copy of her book), then the next day did volunteer at a shelter for homeless veterans - on Veteran's Day, no less.  It was really fun.

My fifth grade chorus is shaping up - the attentive behavior is increasing, the singing is improving, the concert will be okay if I can just keep a step ahead and have all the ducks in a row.  Quack, quack.

The guy who sells my morning coffee is hosting a free chair massage afternoon at his shop this coming Sunday, so I'm looking forward to that.  It means that the networking is starting to happen.

I worked on a guy tonight (brought my table over) who had chiropractic before but never a massage.  Nice guy, sent me a lovely little thank you e-mail after I left, will probably call me back - hope he'll tell friends.

I need to figure out how to post video.  Was having fun with an intro to a video study guide I was filming for my classmates and was thinking it would be fun to do something silly for my DS friends.  Someday.

The parents are still okay, sister okay, hubby okay, me okay, no major traumas to deal with just now.  Oh, antibiotics, aches and pains, the tragedy of having to work for a living, gastric distress and economic challenges, but hey, we can't really complain.

Hope you are all well.  Are you?

In the Fitness Goals forum a poster was moaning about middle age.  I replied with the following post (no response to it yet).  I liked my answer, so I'm putting it here.

 - eh, so there are some things about aging that suck, but truthfully?

10) I know who the heck I am
9) I RECOGNIZE my mistakes when I make them again
8) My body has changed so much over the years that I'm used to being adaptable
7) I don't have to worry about hair care products anymore
6) The clothes I wore as a young man are now a really hip Halloween costume
5) I am actually able to think with the head on my shoulders now
4) Everything goes with gray
3) Wrinkles hide the skin blemishes, gives my face "character"
2) The noises my body makes are quite entertaining (some nights it's practically a concerto)
1) It beats the alternative

:)

Thanks for the support!  It's been a rather emotional week.

So, to head back out to the other extreme - 

 - today I had a session scheduled with my trainer so left school a little earlier than usual.  I stopped off at the nearest Starbucks, got back in the car and noticed the cell phone ringing.  

This never happens.  It's almost always on silent and buried deep in a pocket or my back pack.  But I see the front panel flashing the caller ID and it's the art teacher from my school.  "Is there any way you can come back - I need to give you something?"

She met me on the front walk outside the office holding a flat black paper sealed with a giant gold star.  In it was a message and a small collection of checks.  She and several of my colleagues pitched in to pay for a massage chair.

They want me to repay with massages.

I'm so overwhelmed - the generosity, the kindness...  I mean - it's not just the monetary gift (which is significant), it's that I also need to do the work and they are willing to help me with that too.  A double gift.  They signed it from "your charter massage clients."

I am one grateful man.