Airplane Yoga

If you have noticed a paucity of posts lately, it's because I have been traveling this month.  I love to travel; and I know that it's not just the destination that matters, but the journey. But seriously, traveling coach on US Airways is no fun. My usual m.o. is to bury myself in a book and a couple of trashy magazines.  I read "The End of Overeating" by David Kessler M.D. and found it a fascinating read about how our appetites have been manipulated by the culture, the media and food manufacturers so that our bodies and our brains are totally misguided and confused; and a great profile of the newlyweds William and Catherine in Vanity Fair and a wonderfully decadent Spa magazine that made me want to immediately plan my next getaway.   But since "moving" is part of my new m.o.,  I talked myself into experimenting with airplane seat yoga.  I have taken enough gentle yoga, including chair yoga, over the past three years that I figured I could come up with some poses that would incorporate stretching, breathing and relaxation to help me tolerate two cross-country flights.
My yoga teachers, Jen in particular, focuses always and fundamentally on the breath.  She teaches four-count breathing, although I like a five-count.  In and out, rhythmically, it is calming and creates a certain mindfulness.  These are some of the poses I came up with that created more of a relaxing physical experience to complement the escapist and sometimes mindless reading I do in flight.  (OK, the lawyer in me comes out.  I am not an expert and not a yoga teacher.  Do these at your own risk!)
While breathing,

1. Chin to Chest
2. Chin to Ceiling
3. Lower Ear towards the shoulder and use your arm and your head to help with the stretch.
4. Wrist Circles
5. Point and Flex the Feet
6. Spread the Toes
7. Seated Twists, putting one arm behind your back and and looking over your shoulder, with your other arm on your knee or your armrest
8. Mini Hip Circles
9. Open the Tray Table, rest your head on your arms and lean forward as you exhale to get a deeper stretch
10. Mini Cat and Cows, rolling your shoulders forward and backward
11. Eagle arms
12. Raise your arms overhead and stretch
13. Slide your arms forward down your legs as you bend forward, getting a deeper stretch as you exhale
14. Pull your bellly into your spine and your spine into your belly.
15. And for final relaxation, put your seat back and breathe. 

The photo above is of the Napa Valley and was taken from the Wine Train.  A relaxing dinner and ride that included a memorable sunset.  Makes the coach travel worthwhile. 

Ten Things I Still Miss About My Dad

My dad died in 2003.  He was part of that greatest generation, who served in World War II (he was in the D-Day invasion).  An Italian immigrant, he built a life and family using his tailoring skills and enjoyed life and its simplest, but most valuable pleasures.  These are the ten things I miss most about him:

1. His Bostonian-Italian accent, especially the way he pronounced my husband's and son's names.
2. His ability to savor a meal, and how he ate his salad after the main course.
3. That he never minded fixing my clothes.
4. His laugh.
5. His enjoyment of summer fruit, a brisk walk, window shopping at a mall, engaging a stranger in conversation.
6. His playing bocce at family reunions (and I have a photo of him, my husband and son doing so).
7. How he always carried a comb in his shirt pocket and frequently ran it through his hair.
8. How he dressed in a coat and dress shirt for the most casual of occasions.
9. His pet name for me.
10. His unconditional love.

Happy Fathers Day, Daddy.  I miss you everyday. 

Regina Brett's Empathy and Gift

I think we all have a public persona worn like a coat of armor to protect us from the assaults of daily life.  It includes the pleasantries we exchange each morning with co-workers, the small talk about personal and current events and the fairly predictable and superficial interactions that make up our daily work.  But sometimes when I least expect it, something much deeper happens. 

I promised in my first post about the Empathy and Innovation Summit at the Cleveland Clinic to write more about Regina Brett.  Until last week, I had never heard of her and had only vaguely heard of her book, God Never Blinks, probably just from seeing it on a newspaper list of bestsellers.    

She’s a columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and hosts a weekly call-in show on the local NPR affiliate.  As additional background, a few excerpts from her bio in the program materials:  “Her book is an inspirational collection of essays and stories about the lessons life taught her along the detours of life. God Never Blinks was written by popular demand.  When Regina turned 50, she wrote a column on the 50 lessons life taught her.  A life as an unwed mother.  A life as a single parent for 18 years.  A life interrupted by breast cancer at age 41.”   The book is an expansion of the ‘life lessons’  column that went viral. 

At the conference, there was an area with books by authors that were speaking.  Since I love to read, mostly non-fiction and self-help stuff, I picked up her book and could tell immediately that I wanted to buy it.  Actually, I bought two copies, one for me and one for someone in my life who has overcome significant adversity.

She was signing books before her keynote presentation, and I wanted her to sign both of them.  As I approached her and then began to explain why I wanted her to sign the book, I began to cry and I don’t mean just a little wet around the eyes.  In seconds, I was practically sobbing. 

She was so kind.  She wrote a lovely inscription and shared a personal story much like the one I was relating to her that told me she understood (remember the conference was about empathy).  She’s got it.  I quickly escaped into the ladies room, where I cried even harder.

My friends and family know I am pretty much a world-class crier.  It is something I have been ashamed of all my life.  I sometimes cry at movies, weddings, funerals, at Mass and when I am very happy, sad or tired.  It has always seemed to me to be a major character flaw or at least a sign of weakness. 

Her keynote was spectacular.  She encouraged those of us who work in health care to “give someone a moment.”  By that she meant to move beyond the superficial, canned customer service that you get at any number of places that provide “scripts” for relating to people. 

After returning home, I sat down to read her book in more detail.  Her Life Lesson Number 7?  "Cry with someone.  It’s more healing than crying alone.” 

I wrote to her, on paper, at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, to thank her and explain in much more personal terms than I can here, the effect of our encounter. 

And in a truly lived life, there has to be more than those superficial exchanges with smiles and nods.  She sure gave me a moment I won’t ever forget.  And if you have not read the book, ask to borrow mine or buy one.  It’s worth it.

One Cigarette Butt at a Time

I confess to not understanding smokers at all.  I can relate to smoking as an addiction and appreciate that it is a compulsive behavior.   My workplace is smoke free, including buildings and grounds.  But the sidewalks and driveways approaching the front entrance are littered with cigarette butts from smokers who discard their butts on the ground.  You've surely seen smokers toss their butts indiscriminately out windows of cars or while strolling down streets.  While working last weekend and crossing the driveway from the Emergency Department to my office, I passed a newly planted flower garden littered with cigarette butts.  I've passed this particular spot dozens of times before when it was bare dirt.   A burst of anger and energy came over me, and I marched to my office, put on latex gloves that are kept there for housekeeping, and stormed back to the flower garden.  I then spent the next few minutes picking up butts that had been planted like seeds next to the flowers, in the rock beds nearby and on the sidewalk.  Today, three days later, I passed by again and no new butts!  I feel like the young man in the starfish story, making a difference, one cigarette butt at a time.  If you don't know the story, here it is. 

The Starfish

Strolling along the beach, a woman catches sight of a young man who appears to be dancing at the water's edge. The young man bends down, straightens to his full height and then casts his arm out in an arc. Drawing closer, she sees that the sand is littered with starfish and he is throwing them, one by one, back into the sea.

She says, ‘There are stranded starfish as far as the eye can see. What difference can saving a few of them possibly make?’

Smiling, he stoops down and tosses another starfish out over the water, saying, ‘It made a difference to that one.’

Dr. Roizen, Regina Brett and What I Learned at the Cleveland Clinic

Three days at the Cleveland Clinic (CC) for the 'Empathy and Innovation Summit'. There's a trend in health care organizations to create an office or a position focused on the 'patient experience'; CC is in the forefront of this movement.  PE is a highly evolved construct for customer service, and encompasses the environment (art and architecture), caregivers who are carefully selected, trained and focused on the patient; and a holistic view of patient care and treatment that considers the patient AND family.  It's been awhile since I have been to any sort of conference and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to attend this one.  I learned a lot that can help me do my job better; and a lot that can help me live my life better too.  Some of you may remember that the CEO of Cleveland Clinic, a cardiologist, made headlines a few years ago when he tried to kick McDonald's out of the first floor of the Clinic.  He lost that battle; apparently McDonald's was perfectly happy to stay where they were not wanted since they have a long-term lease.  The Cleveland Clinic does not hire smokers; they are in the minority of hospitals.  They have a major employee wellness initiative and another one aimed at the community, 'Let's Move It.'  All of this makes great sense to me.  The conference had two terrific keynote speakers, one of whom I will write a whole post about, Regina Brett (author of 'God Never Blinks' , a book I highly recommend) and Robby Benson.  The panel moderator for the final segment of the conference was MIchael Roizen, M.D.  I had seen him a few times on Dr. Oz with whom he co-authored YOU: On a Diet.   Dr. Roizen is the CC's Chief Wellness Officer, another role found in forward thinking organizations.  It's always tough to be the last presenter at a conference but he made it worthwhile.  Dr. Roizen is passionate about wellness and about the compelling business case for it.  With all the talk about health care reform, the fact that healthcare costs are largely driven by obesity, tobacco use, stress and inactivity sometimes gets lost.  I bought his book and he was kind enough to inscribe it personally when I shared with him that I had lost 25 pounds and have 25 more to go.  The inscription ends, "Go For It!".  He was also kind enough to pose with me for the photo above.  A lot of the tips in the book are things that I already know, but one of them is so practical I would like to pass it on.  We all know that we should read labels, but he and Dr. Oz prescribe avoiding ANY food with ANY of the following five ingredients:  "simple sugars; enriched, bleached or refined flour; all syrups, including high fructose corn syrup; saturated fat or trans fat." He talked about the importance of managing the environment.  And the conference planners certainly did that.  Food and beverages are not allowed in the Conference Center lecture halls.  All the meals and snacks were healthy and delicious, making it easier for attendees to make good choices.  The hotel and Clinic gift shops did the same.   His advice is that we make "living healthy automatic."  It's so much easier when the environment is supportive. 

If this were so easy, Oprah would have done it.

It seems like it's all Oprah, all the time these days as her daily show winds down.  She is a one woman global enterprise, 'OWN'ing her own network, magazine, and millions of followers who look to her for advice, book choices and as a kind of life coach.   She has no equal in what she has built from the sheer force of her personality and will.  I caught a glimpse of her best friend Gayle King last night on Piers Morgan and they were sharing stories of her kindness and simple humanity.  And of course, she has a gazillion dollars that she puts in good use to benefit and encourage others.
So, with all of that, does it surprise you that she still apparently struggles with weight issues?  How many of us that do so too have thought that if we only had a private chef, a home gym, a life coach or a trainer like Jillian Michaels or Bob Greene, we could finally and completely shed our excess weight?  Just when I start to feel that it is easy or that I have this under control, I have a slip-up.  I am working at not having these be major.  But it's hard.  Those of us that are on this journey are in good company.  

Narcissistic Navel Gazing?

It's no secret that I am a pretty conventional Roman Catholic, the product of 12 years of Catholic education in the 1960s and 1970s.  The fact that the Vatican recently held a meeting for bloggers gives me an opportunity to reflect on the whole blogosphere thing.  Why do people do this?   One of my frequent time wasters, or multi-tasking diversions while I am on conference calls (oops, did I really write that?) is to click on the 'Next Blog' button that appears on blogspot.  It is amazing to 'surf' blogs and see the stuff that people write about and post.  Lots of family blogs, travel blogs, business-promoting blogs, 'cause' blogs for diseases, organizations and points of view and many dead or at least terminally inactive blogs where no posts have been made for months or years.  When I read that the Vatican invited bloggers to come to Rome, it impressed me as pretty cool.  After all, people think the Vatican is old and stodgy, but taking the initiative to host a blogger conference with people from around the world strikes me as more in-touch than most people give it credit for.  Then I learned that Pope Benedict XVI has written on the subject of social media and encouraged priests to adopt these forms of communication to reach out to people who are not the ones usually in the pews on Sunday.  At the blog conference, Federico Lombardi, SJ, commented on the potential for good in that bloggers can inform and explain the Church.  He was also quoted as being concerned about the inherent problem of self-centeredness and ego among communicators in general, and particularly among bloggers.  It is an issue I think about regularly, not so much related to blogging specifically, but social media in general, although I often ask myself why I am really doing this.  
I read another quote from another Vatican spokesperson related to the use of Facebook,  Monsignor Paul Tighe, from the same Social Communications Office as Father Lombardi.  "What we have found is that Facebook doesn't just share information, it creates community,  People begin talking to each other and sharing ideas."   I get that and hope that is what I am doing with both my Facebook page and this blog.   And if I step too far over the line into the world of 'me, me, me'  feel free to let me know. 
P.S.  Early yesterday evening as I was driving home from work, I got a phone call from my cousin, who shared sad news with me about the untimely death of another of our cousins, whose sister is a fairly prominent blogger.  This morning, I saw that she had posted a poignant reflection on their relationship.  Now that's building community.  More later on that issue. 
P.P.S. For my Facebook friends, learning what you had for dinner or that you are going to sleep now is TMI.  I love the ideas, the funny stuff, the photos, but let's all think before we post.