Kinky Toots

kinky

In all honesty, I do not know how I would write this blog without the ‎generous help of my husband. Believe me when I say that it goes far ‎and beyond his job title of Hebrew editor in chief…‎

Hail to the court jester of Banter and Chuckles!‎

His healthy sense of humor works overtime. Any time we go for a ‎backyard biking adventure is a happy time. It matters not if I am being ‎serious, minding my own business or simply day dreaming, he will ‎always have the precise angle to bring a smile upon my lips…‎

Do you remember my new spokes?‎

I could not have asked for a better bike. Even green, I could not have ‎chosen a better color to go to bat for! On second thought, however, ‎perhaps I should ask for a refund. Today was not only my third time ‎out but it was also the third time that I spilled out of the saddle! There ‎is absolutely no escaping the self-flagellation: they were such ‎embarrassing slip ups. It would not be so bad if I could proudly toot ‎about the steep drop that I messed up on… I can only hope and pray ‎that nobody bore witness to this travesty. You did, did you?

Just put a ‎sock in it!‎

Hubby loves to laugh at me: he says that I have a very low threshold ‎for pain. Between you and me, who can compare my pain to ‎another’s?‎

It is interesting to note that current scientific research supports gender ‎differentiated thresholds to pain. It appears that when compared to ‎men, women have a lower threshold to pain.‎

When we are injured and in pain, our body releases natural painkillers ‎called endorphins or beta-natural opioids. Endorphins dim our senses ‎and ease our pain. It turns out that the stronger sex's body is better ‎apt at production of endorphins.‎

Did you hear that honey?!

Finally there is a validation for my wails of ‎pain! ( Poppycock! – translation of Hebrew editor in chief’s ill-‎mannered comment 🙂 )

My family has long since abandoned any hope of “safely” waking me ‎in the middle of the night (Happily for me… it is a huge challenge for ‎me to fall back to sleep!). My daughter describes it as a scene straight ‎out of the Mel Brooks movie: Dracula: Dead and Loving It! I sit up in ‎bed suddenly and howl: the dead coming to life… I have been known ‎‎(the proof is on you…) to utter similar sounds, sleeping injured or in ‎pain as I attempt to roll over in bed. Sure as hell, when I slide out of ‎the saddle, you and everyone else in your midst cannot help but hear ‎me…‎

We all have our unique way of handling pain.‎

Stuff happens and will keep on happening: we fall, crash and injure ‎ourselves. It hurts. Sometimes the pain is fierce. When the damage is ‎visible to the naked eye, our screams and our cries are met with ‎compassion and tenderness even if we have turned the volume way, ‎way up.‎

There are times when we sense something amiss in our bodies or ‎we’ve received an abnormal lab test result. Normality amiss, we are ‎struck down by paralyzing fears: the sympathetic nervous system ‎kicks into gear. At times our behavior has a life of its own as we lose ‎control.‎

On the one hand, we can run like a mouse in a maze, running ‎repeatedly into walls on our way, forever at an impasse or, on the ‎other hand, we can take deep relaxing breaths. As the stress ‎intensifies, acknowledge the opponent you face. We can fight it or we ‎can feel it and allow the pain, the grief and the fear to just be. Relieve ‎anxiety using meditation, nature and prayer as key allies. ‎

Embrace you body’s wisdom.

Do not for a moment believe that one ‎person holds all of the answers even if she’s a white coat… Let the last ‎word be yours: you deciding what’s best for your body.‎

I have been growing a strange thread of pain which weaves between ‎my shoulder, neck, ear and head. Presently, after three spills from my ‎bike, I’ve collected a vibrant assortment of bright purple, blue and ‎yellow bruises. You can see them clearly on my arm, hand, inner thigh, ‎palm, knee and, of course, on my butt! I made it home on a rush of ‎adrenaline but the groaning and limping was not long in coming. I ‎asked hubby to help me undress as I was finding it challenging to raise ‎my arms above my head.‎

bruised

I am sure that you guess that my partner could not control himself. He ‎graciously helped me remove all of my clothing but my socks. The ‎crème de la crème was saved for last. He gingerly removed the first ‎one but kept my naked foot in his clasp. The dirty play began as he ‎played my toes, heel and arch with his magic. He, of course, was no ‎stranger to the powers that unfolded in his hands. The captain of my ‎soles captures my soul. I can still hear his laughter ringing in my ears.‎ 

The third time’s always a charm. ‎
The spirulina ice cream is on me♥ ‎

( ♥ in Hebrew the third time is rewarded with ice cream)