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| Monsieur et Madame |
June is comin' in hot, folks, and I'm not talking about the weather, though my most excellent tan (circa 1986, minus the body stickers) might suggest otherwise! It's just that I've got a lot of things coming up, or rather coming to an end this month that if I'm not exactly excited about, I'm at least excited to get through, or maybe just excited for what's next? All I know is that what follows is going to be different from what was, and that is the most wonderful feeling. This year is flying (galloping?), and for the first time in many, many years I feel like I'm ... Well, if not keeping up, I'm at least not drowning, and THAT is a huge level up!
Since mid-April I've been having my ass absolutely handed to me by my doppelganger ... I walked into her office to get help for an injury I've been dealing with for 16 years (I still can't believe I'm at an age where my ailments, and infirmities can, if they were people themselves, be old enough to obtain a driver's license, but here we are), and we were both oh-so-subtly like that Pointing Spider Man meme. Neither one of us said anything about it until after my third visit, we'd just kind of look at each other like dogs when they tilt their heads trying to understand something. I can, however, confirm with authority that there really is no such thing as too much of a good thing, if we do say so ourselves (and trust me, we both would).
I've known of this woman since she opened her practice a decade ago, her reputation is immaculate, and I knew she was the only person I wanted directing my recovery, it was always just a matter of getting in to see her, and having the opportunity to commit to the treatment plan - it's not something you want to slack on if you actually want to improve. What's more, I know several of her patients, she knows my entire street of neighbors, and the appointments feel like brunch dates. Anyway, I've even made my mother go, and we've been having a ball ... And not just the one she has her assistant shove into my back! Alas, our time together has come to an end just this week, and I wish I was exaggerating, but they are, in no uncertain terms, saving my life. It's been so nice being, quite literally, in the capable hands of two brilliant women after being destitute for so long on this journey. I'm a little saddened at getting released back into the wild, but I'm so much more overcome with gratitude - I honestly don't even have the proper words for it.
For those of you as nosy as I am, it's my local Airrosti Rehab Center that I've been visiting - it's a musculoskeletal focused treatment practice that I would describe as its own special mix of physical therapy, deep tissue massage, and torture (pain with a purpose, as I've been told). The whole point is to get your body back into the routine of correctly doing what it's supposed to be doing in the first place, and alleviate pain and strain without unnecessary treatments or procedures, and without an extended timeline of care. They're one of the few places on planet Earth that doesn't want to drag out your appointments ad infinitum, and dominate your calendar. Now here's the worst part, they're currently only practicing in 4 US states (Texas - their HQ, Ohio, Washington, and Virginia)! Frankly, this is a crime against humanity. There needs to be a shop on every corner as far as I'm concerned.
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Next on the docket, I'll be wrapping up my first 12 Week Year, and heading into my next one by mid-month. I can honestly tell you from my penultimate week that this system really kicked my tail into gear. I was hopeful, but not entirely convinced it would do much ... Listen, I'm not moving mountains here, but things are changing for the better, and I like the the Goldilocks "rigidity" of it - it has been just enough of a framework to keep me from spiraling, whilst providing the space for a little magic to seep in, so to speak.
I'll admit, I'm a little nervous to start mapping out the next twelve weeks, because I don't want to have to redesign the whole thing, but I really don't want to just repeat the same twelve I just ended. I know how dumb that sounds, but if you'd seen the struggle just to come up with a plan the first time around, you'd have a little more sympathy for my plight, I think! "Bitch, just make a LIST, we know you know how to do that!!!" I know, I know, and I hear you ... Believe me, if it were that simple, I would. It's just that the first batch was all about building the launchpad, and now I have to actually go somewhere from there, hopefully without exploding upon liftoff.
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And finally, the month of June will conclude with my very own Kato Kaelin moment ... And it's the one year anniversary of The Incident (don't worry, you don't know what that is yet - you haven't missed anything). I'll be able to share more of that in September, but what I can tell you is that for the next two weeks I have been relegated to picking out my most capable looking outfit. Stay tuned ...☆
Rather than dodging and weaving to avoid what's coming at me, I'm swimming straight toward it. My blessing, and my curse is that I typically look completely unbothered and nonchalant (until I don't, but that's a whole other story). Like ducks gliding seemingly effortlessly on the water, my little legs are paddling as hard as they can below deck, so I looked up Mallard symbolism (because those are the ducks that always visit me), and found that across several cultures they can represent adaptability, emotional balance, transformation, and intuition. The colors saturating their feathers are connected with joy, and authenticity ... I have to tell you, I was never really the biggest fan of the female Mallard's markings, and for the longest time just saw her as a beige blob, and not the demure diva she truly is. I love the way her blue stripe matches her king's crown (it's so cute when couples coordinate their ensembles!), and when the Golden Hour light hits her just right, she's actually breathtaking. Don't get me wrong, I'm not out here trying to domesticate anybody, if anything I'm the one being tamed when girlfriend lands in my back yard and herds me over to the garden hose when she wants a fresh drink! I want them to remain as wild as possible, but I'm so grateful that they know my back yard is a safe spot to grab some rest, and my garden beds are THRILLED with the bonus slug-removal that's been going on here. Anyway, frequent mallard sightings are believed to indicate an era of graceful transition, a time to trust your instincts, and to strike that balance between the emotional and practical. If we allow them, our fine feathered friends can remind us to navigate life's currents with resilience, and ease, just because something may require hard work, doesn't mean we have to over-complicate it, and I think that's what June is going to be all about.
