random thoughts – Day 1,216 – (Sunday) – control

Winston!

The new Monsoon Season is no joke. Another day, another flash flood warning on social media and the car dashboard. New to the party, was the morning tornado warning. 

The Merrimack River has been running fast and looking aggressive for a couple weeks, and the recent rain has encouraged it. I'm afraid to look at Beaver Brook, which is on the other side of the house next door, and hoping the higher embankments are sufficient. Fitchburg, where I grew up, was torn up today with streets flooded all around the city and chunks of pavement broken from the streets and relocated. 

Winston was blissfully unaware of the weather and napped in his bed most of the day. That is what he does most days, so for him the weather was truly a non-event. 

There was a conscious effort to focus on the things I could control. Under this effort, the basement was checked for water, and luckily there wasn’t much to deal with. The four dances that are the core of our belly dance troupe repertoire were practiced. Later, there were trips away from the house. The first was to Market Basket for the weekly provisions – Win’s chicken, salad supplies.

After putting the groceries away, there was a trip to Planet Fitness. The daily website stalking paid off today. The “Closed for Renovations” message was gone from the website for the Dracut location. It had been posted there for several weeks, since right around the time I had decided to get my derriere off the couch and move. I put on some workout pants, laced up my official worn only to the gym shoes, and pounced. A membership was bought. The team member at the desk said this was the first day open after the renovations. It was wonderfully not crowded, so maybe word about the reopening hasn’t gotten out yet.

After the membership process was completed, there were battles with two treadmills which I couldn’t get to run for longer than two minutes. I finally gave up and went to fight with a recumbent bike instead. A 15-minute ride that covered more than three miles was the first bike ride since riding my hybrid actual bike with a friend on the rail trail once two summer ago. A few machines in the circuit training room were visited. Nothing major, just a quickie to get reacquainted.

New best friend control.

The final stop was the massage chair. During my previous membership (2018-19) quality time was spent on the hydromassage table. Hydromassage wasn’t set up today, but the very new looking massage chairs were and I was all about it. It was ten minutes of peace, quiet, and machine applied massage on all the settings available on the control – knocking, kneading, and shiatsu. Also air massage. I can’t wait to go back there for the chair. 

The only learning curve is going to be phone app. I used to not take my phone into the gym on purpose for the brief period of tranquility and separation from the distractions. Now, check-in is by phone, and so is the sign up for the Black Club feature massage chairs and hydromassage. There is also a tanning booth that I always ignored. And something called “Total Body Enhancement,” whatever that is. Something to explore.

It felt good to be in control.