Not Quite Marie #2

 Today we drew the 

powder room drawers. 

Oddly we found memories 

and history! 

Lots of basics, 6 pairs of tweezers, lots of nail files 

    We also came across some Tiger Balm. 

The small red tin brought back a load of stories. 

When the Offspring were young, we let them try lots

of different activities hoping to keep them active 

and engaged. MB ( middle boy) had 

a friend who did martial arts, 

and before long 2 were in Kung Fu and all four 

were taking Jujitsu.  Their sensei told them that 

tiger balm helped ease sore muscles. We all 

ended up using this smelly ancient recipe to ease 

the pain of strenuous activity! 

Other than tiger balm, the family got 

lots of value from these activities. 

Every week the Offspring would 

return from class with stories the teachers

shared.  We found out ; one teacher lost a little 

toe in a bike chain when he was young. 

It didn't affect his balance tho, 

since he learned to adapt

and compensate. The advice and 

introspection the teachers shared with 

the students on the way to teaching and 

training was inspiring. I still remember the

day My Eldest came home and said he 

learned how to  come out ahead on 

every fight.  His sensei told him , when faced 

with a potentially 

dangerous situation the 

best solution is to run and resolve the 

situation elsewhere.!

Good advice. 

The teachers encouraged older, experienced 

students to assist the younger and for 

everyone to work together.  It was a 

great learning time for everyone!

We also found an assortment of blister 

band aids.  Very inspirational.

 I used these when I began

 a running career in my 

6th decade.

  A co worker routinely runs 

Marathons and was chatting about running .

I made the 'mistake?" of saying, 

"I can't run" and the next thing I knew,

 I had a coach!  Off to a very slow start, 

( I could run a total of 40 seconds before

stopping) but by the end of the summer , 

I could run 5 sets of 10 minutes!  

I needed blister pads for my feet, 

( they are flat and bumpy) but I am a runner!

The highlight for me was being 

acknowledged with a brief nod by 

another runner on a morning run in 

Hawaii.  A great moment. 

Some good memories from that little clean out!

Keep tidy!