It’s now 11:28, and I’ve got a lot crammed into one day! Did the usual morning routine, followed by a bike ride to Steelhead for breakfast and then onto LA Fitness for a yoga class with JR. JR does great yoga, and has the vocal quality, intonation, and attention to make the class almost a hypnotic experience. He is a good role model for me at my current stage of development. Most of my teachers to date have been rather willowy and lithe younger women, and the physical constraints on their range of motion and mobility are very different from mine, as in the mythical “easy seated pose”. I most highly recommend that any of you more mature individuals seek out older and more experienced teachers who specialize in making sure you don’t get hurt.

But I diverge! I am now at one of my daily hangouts, the DRNK Coffee House in Bixby Knolls. In top image you see manager Mildred training new employee Gary, while Nieya (like papaya) and Curtis cavort behind the espresso machine. This is a great hydration station for me between LA Fitness, with the added benefit that before I had actually completed my transaction my drink was in my hand. Great to have places where your name is known!

I will now ride home to get ready for a 2 hr massage with my masseuse, Teresa. Our usual is 1 hour, but Teresa has been out of action since April and I had 3 left on my package and both needed and wanted some extra time. Changing my gait has been VERY challenging to my body and I have accumulated barrels of that “insult and injury”, and I find massage to be a very helpful tool in the “dealing with it” phase. I am planning on hitting the road for a few weeks and didn’t want to wait until August to get that attention.

Then it will be off to Long Beach Gyrotonics in Naples where I will be seeing my body mechanic, Donna Place. Our usual day would have been yesterday, but for the 4th, but she managed to squeeze me in for a last minute tune-up. I didn’t get to where I am now alone. I have a team of practitioners who I contract with to help me achieve my goals, and Donna is a key member of that team. There will be more about her in the future.