Uprightness

Here’s how to hold your cell phone.

Don’t text like this guy. He’s on his way to a migraine and herniated discs in his neck. The difference between him and me is that he might do this for years without pain. If I did it, I would need a morphine shot stat. Ouch.

I took these pics when I was riding the Gold Line to Pasadena for a Members Only tour at the Norton Simon Museum. That Norton Simon membership is the best deal in town. Often, I’m the only one under 70 attending these tours. I want to be as fabulous as these well-dressed Pasadena ladies when I reach their age. And then when I’m dead, please scatter my ashes at the Norton Simon, just under the Impressionists. Thanks.

Van Gogh's Bedroom came to visit the Norton Simon from Chicago.

I missed my stop because I was so busy taking pics of this guy and myself. I noticed when the train stopped that we had reached the end of the Gold Line, which I had never been to. Sierra Madre is lovely. I caught a train going back the other way. Then I sprinted a mile up Colorado Boulevard and made it to my tour just in time, although a bit sweaty. I love a good run.

Useful pics about posture, beautiful tour, and got my exercise in. — Useful pics about posture, beautiful tour, and got my exercise in.

I found this book years ago. It became the basis for how I take care of my spine, how I move and how I exercise. Not just my spine. Also, my knees, hips, and shoulders. I highly recommend it. I learned to sit, bend, lie in bed and walk from this book. It is marvelous. It was a gift to my life.

I learned to samba from this book. The samba is a Brasilian dance. It’s a great way to stabilize your low back. Then I danced with Brasilians. I highly recommend this. Brasilians are way fun.

What is better in life than dancing.

Stacking your spine properly, being upright without strain, is a big a project, not the easiest thing to learn from a book, and totally worth figuring out. Learning to walk and move like an upright human has been critical to my quality of life. I’ve got to keep my joints in line. I’ve got to keep strain to a minimum. I am very severely affected by Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Here I am carrying my groceries home on my head, down 3rd Street in Miracle Mile, a fabulous part of Los Angeles. Balancing an object on your head activates all the supporting muscles that wrap your spine. You feel like you are floating down the street. This is the nicest exercise. Humans all over the world carry their things every day like this. Just not in fabulous Los Angeles, unless you are me. And, yes, people make comments.

The basket is balanced on my head, not tied to it. That’s important. I want to make those stabilizing muscles fire. If I feel the basket start to fall, I just bring my hand up.

A basket tied to my head would be a different exercise, not one I want to do.

It was not a windy day. The basket stayed in place.

Maybe the Buddha was simply trying to tell us just to sit up straight so we wouldn’t hurt.

Maybe that’s what enlightenment is all about.

Lantau Island, Asia. — Lantau Island, Asia.

Check out these Dinka tribesman in Sudan.

Have you ever seen posture like this in your life before just now? No, you haven’t. First World problems. We don’t even know how strong and stable should look.

Look at the muscle development around their shoulder blades. No over arched low back. No Popeye arms. Powerful. Extraordinary. Correct. Dignified. Graceful. Fierce.

I’d like to go to Sudan and study with the Dinkas. Learn to move from the experts.