Physically active was what I was from shortly after my forty-fifth birthday in September 2002, when I took up yoga, to March 2015, when arthritis put an end to all that.
Athletic is what I have never been.
Athletes have talent. They are brilliant with their bodies.
I am the opposite of body brilliant. I am a klutz. Clumsy. An accident looking for a place to happen, and famous in the family for being so. It was one of my father's last jokes as he lay dying from liver cancer. When there was a crash in the hospital corridor, Dad asked, even while under heavy sedation, "Is that Karen?"
Hilarious.
Anyway, the combined effect of my desire to get back to being physically active and my talentless body is that I think I have overdone it. I'm in a lot of pain right now from too vigorous physio and too much walking. Phooey.
**********
The Ruler of a small but pleasant realm was in her chambers with the Wizard, her most skilled improvisor. With them were the five Wordsmiths, all looking tan and rested from a week in the dungeon.
"What have you got for me?" said the Ruler to the Wordsmiths, making a show of her low expectations, despite discovering the week before that the Thing coughed up, at the rate of once every twenty days according to the Wizard's calculations, a gem of surpassing beauty and unfathomable value.
This good news had travelled all the way up to the Ruler's boss to the fifth power, The Greatest Ruler.
Our friend the Ruler had received much praise for her part in the management of the Thing. She had to work hard to hide her good mood from the Wordsmiths.
"I think you'll like what we have to show you," said Hank, the head Wordsmith.
"The Pokemon concept tested well with focus groups. We've done a complete profile for the Kingdom's new mascot."
"And you've had time," asked the Ruler, suddenly over her good mood, looking at the illustration handed to her, "to hold a children's drawing contest?"
"Um, no," said Hank, "That's Dorf's concept sketch of the Thing's public image."
"Ah," said the Ruler.
"We'll clean it up," said Hank. "This is just a draft."
"I see," said the Ruler. "Is it impaled?"
"No, ma'am," said Dorf, leaping to the defence of his work. "The black parts are his wing and his tail."
"His feet are webbed?" asked the Wizard.
"No, sir," said Dorf, "those are stylized bird feet. Like a cartoon character."
"Of course," said the Wizard.
Hank thought he could still save the meeting.
"We call it 'Diggifly.' That's because it can - or will - dig and fly. It has the capacity to learn new moves as it grows.
"We have already given it quite a few: Sunny Day, Hyper Beam, Frustration, Dig, Bulldoze, Rock Slide, Swagger, Hidden Power and Secret Power, and there's more where those came from.
"With these moves, Diggifly will be able to defeat all the other monsters in the kingdom."
"Defeat all the other monsters," repeated the Ruler, gathering her thoughts about what else she might say.
"Is that what it does? Fight other monsters?
"What about the gems? What about its song?," she asked.
"Didn't test well," said Hank. "People get Pokemon, not that other stuff."
"At least we have a name," said the Ruler. "Butterfly did you say?"
"Diggifly, ma'am," said Dorf.
"Right," said the Ruler, showing the five Wordsmiths the door. "Thank you all so much for your hard work. We'll review these materials more closely and get back to you."
To be continued ...
Thanks for reading!
Have a great week!
Karen
Our friend the Ruler had received much praise for her part in the management of the Thing. She had to work hard to hide her good mood from the Wordsmiths.
"I think you'll like what we have to show you," said Hank, the head Wordsmith.
"The Pokemon concept tested well with focus groups. We've done a complete profile for the Kingdom's new mascot."
"And you've had time," asked the Ruler, suddenly over her good mood, looking at the illustration handed to her, "to hold a children's drawing contest?"
"Um, no," said Hank, "That's Dorf's concept sketch of the Thing's public image."
"Ah," said the Ruler.
"We'll clean it up," said Hank. "This is just a draft."
"I see," said the Ruler. "Is it impaled?""No, ma'am," said Dorf, leaping to the defence of his work. "The black parts are his wing and his tail."
"His feet are webbed?" asked the Wizard.
"No, sir," said Dorf, "those are stylized bird feet. Like a cartoon character."
"Of course," said the Wizard.
Hank thought he could still save the meeting.
"We call it 'Diggifly.' That's because it can - or will - dig and fly. It has the capacity to learn new moves as it grows.
"We have already given it quite a few: Sunny Day, Hyper Beam, Frustration, Dig, Bulldoze, Rock Slide, Swagger, Hidden Power and Secret Power, and there's more where those came from.
"With these moves, Diggifly will be able to defeat all the other monsters in the kingdom."
"Defeat all the other monsters," repeated the Ruler, gathering her thoughts about what else she might say.
"Is that what it does? Fight other monsters?
"What about the gems? What about its song?," she asked.
"Didn't test well," said Hank. "People get Pokemon, not that other stuff."
"At least we have a name," said the Ruler. "Butterfly did you say?"
"Diggifly, ma'am," said Dorf.
"Right," said the Ruler, showing the five Wordsmiths the door. "Thank you all so much for your hard work. We'll review these materials more closely and get back to you."
To be continued ...
Thanks for reading!
Have a great week!
Karen
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