The street of the fishing cat – La Rue Du Chat Qui Pêche
One key to fixing bodily and mental injuries, is to learn to reduce tension.
I have to admit that I really love to relax with a good book or a country walk. Sometimes a book will promote long forgotten memories of events gone by. The other day, I was reading a biography, recommended by a friend, about Paris in the fifties, when La Rue Du Chat Qui Pêche was mentioned in the narrative. This is a famous, very narrow, alleyway in Paris, popular with tourists, but for me it is the name of an enjoyable book. This took me back. Way back, to my French phase, when I was avidly learning the language for the sheer joy of the experience. We were living in Geneva, Switzerland, at the time, in the late 1970s.
The novel, if I remember rightly, was all about the struggles of Russian emigrants, marooned in Paris due to the troubles in Russia. These reminiscences reminded me of the initial difficulty I had adapting to life in the United States, and how I missed Europe. The good ol’ USA feels much more like home than Europe, nowadays.
My French is pretty rusty, but maybe I’ll visit that novel again.
Such thoughts, though nostalgic, can be very calming, like a walk with the dogs.
If you are struggling with tension in your life, consider treating yourself to a quiet read, after a nice long walk in the countryside. You’ll be able to watch the tension melting away.
My thoughts today were triggered by a recent comment on my Plantar Fasciitis Facebook Page, by a person suffering from severe foot pain, and with plenty of tension in their life, apparently. But how can I take a long walk with plantar fasciitis (my latest obsession) she might say. The answer is that exercise, done in the right way, is one critical aspect of any cure for plantar fasciitis, and learning to relax both mind and body is another.
And what is the right way, she might say.
I reply, “It’s a journey of self-discovery, where you find the lines of least resistance through your feet, legs and hips, feel for those tight cords of tension throughout your body (and mind), and work to let them go.”
Willbe, Scooter and I sure enjoyed our walk with our neighbor, Camm, and her dog, Ayden, this morning, as I finally work to lay my plantar fasciitis to rest (99.9% done).
Good times, like good books (and great runs), make for good memories.
Did you have any problems after the Gallop & Gorge run?
Nope! It made no difference to my, now fading, plantar fasciitis and otherwise sore left foot. I was slow, but that was to be expected, and that old locking up thing, which occurred before my hip was straightened, did not rear it’s ugly head. A great relief. Working on getting the run back, but it will take a while. Thanks for asking. -kevin