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asher553With Monday's post on the Torah reading from Genesis (Chayei Sarah), I've brought my journal posts current with where we are in the synagogue readings (i.e. for this coming Sabbath). I'm enjoying doing these write-ups, and I feel like it's a good integrity check for myself, to make sure I'm actually reading and understanding the weekly portion. I think it's also a good exercise in reading / writing generally, to take a selection of some work (be it the Bible or whatever) and summarize the key points of the content in your own words; it keeps the brain muscles working.
Keeping the mental and physical muscles engaged is also what I'm trying to do as I build out my daily exercise routine to include a wider variety of low-to-moderate intensity exercises that include a component of coordination, balance, or flexibility. A few years ago I dabbled in teaching myself to juggle, and I've recently revived that endeavor. I bought a set of juggling balls and practice for a few minutes at a time, two or three times a day, just passing the balls from one hand to the other. I'm a long way from being Cirque Du Soleil material, but it's fun and it's good for the hand-eye coordination.
I'm also doing stretches, deep-knee bends, leg raises, and one-leg standing. For the last, I shoot for 30 to 60 seconds at a time for each leg, two or three times, a couple of times a day; mornings are harder because I find my sense of balance is weakest when I've just gotten out of bed.
And speaking of eyes and health, I had a long-overdue vision checkup this morning, courtesy of the VA community care program. The eye doctor's office is just up the road near the mall, less than a mile away. The news was almost all good: my vision is still in good shape, and my eyeglasses prescription hasn't changed substantially from 25+ ago when I last bought glasses. (That I've managed to keep my current pair of glasses for over 25 years without losing or breaking them is in itself something of a miracle.) I have what the doctor called "functional monovision", a term I hadn't heard before but it turns out it has nothing to do with Spanish-language TV. It just means that I have one near-sighted eye (my left) and one far-sighted (my right), and together they compensate for each other's weaknesses so in practice I can see pretty well.
The ophthalmologist did say I need to keep an eye out (so to speak) for cataracts, because he saw what looked like the beginnings of cataract formation when he examined my eyes. It's nothing to worry about yet, but I should keep getting my eyes checked on an annual basis, and I might need to think about cataract surgery in a few years. Also I should limit my exposure to bright sunlight, as UV light can accelerate the formation of cataracts. But it's November and this is Oregon, so that's not likely to be a concern in the near future.
Meanwhile, I'll see about shopping for new glasses when my budget permits. [527]
Keeping the mental and physical muscles engaged is also what I'm trying to do as I build out my daily exercise routine to include a wider variety of low-to-moderate intensity exercises that include a component of coordination, balance, or flexibility. A few years ago I dabbled in teaching myself to juggle, and I've recently revived that endeavor. I bought a set of juggling balls and practice for a few minutes at a time, two or three times a day, just passing the balls from one hand to the other. I'm a long way from being Cirque Du Soleil material, but it's fun and it's good for the hand-eye coordination.
I'm also doing stretches, deep-knee bends, leg raises, and one-leg standing. For the last, I shoot for 30 to 60 seconds at a time for each leg, two or three times, a couple of times a day; mornings are harder because I find my sense of balance is weakest when I've just gotten out of bed.
And speaking of eyes and health, I had a long-overdue vision checkup this morning, courtesy of the VA community care program. The eye doctor's office is just up the road near the mall, less than a mile away. The news was almost all good: my vision is still in good shape, and my eyeglasses prescription hasn't changed substantially from 25+ ago when I last bought glasses. (That I've managed to keep my current pair of glasses for over 25 years without losing or breaking them is in itself something of a miracle.) I have what the doctor called "functional monovision", a term I hadn't heard before but it turns out it has nothing to do with Spanish-language TV. It just means that I have one near-sighted eye (my left) and one far-sighted (my right), and together they compensate for each other's weaknesses so in practice I can see pretty well.
The ophthalmologist did say I need to keep an eye out (so to speak) for cataracts, because he saw what looked like the beginnings of cataract formation when he examined my eyes. It's nothing to worry about yet, but I should keep getting my eyes checked on an annual basis, and I might need to think about cataract surgery in a few years. Also I should limit my exposure to bright sunlight, as UV light can accelerate the formation of cataracts. But it's November and this is Oregon, so that's not likely to be a concern in the near future.
Meanwhile, I'll see about shopping for new glasses when my budget permits. [527]
