Dear Mom,
April is just around the corner, but the snows and winter winds are still whipping across both Kansas and Colorado. As everyone sniffles and sneezes, I remember two of the “healthy” things you used to do for us.
SHIATSU. Acupuncture is done with needles; the Shiatsu acupressure you studied in the 60s was done with finger pressure, also known as Reflexology. When Dad’s sinuses started aching, you would massage and push/hold the undersides of his toes until they popped…and immediately Dad felt better.
The bottoms of our feet were virtual healing fields in your hands. You never tickled our feet, but held them firmly in your hands and massaged, pushing and holding the toes, arches and heels, relieving headaches, back pain, and insomnia. And then you taught me to locate the pressure points on my own feet, too, for all kinds of health benefits. Foot rubs have amazing health benefits!
PINEAPPLE. Recently I read that fresh pineapple is the new multiple-purpose healing fruit. That was no surprise. I grew up watching you buy fresh pineapple, slice it into raw chunks for eating, bake it with ham or chicken or sweet potatoes, and mix it into salads and desserts. If the grocery store didn’t have fresh pineapple, you bought canned and rinsed off the syrup. Whenever one of us had a sore throat, you made hot herbal tea and simmered it with pineapple pieces.
The article I read gave all the current data, Mom, and your instincts were right! Pineapple eases indigestion, arthritis, and sinusitis; its manganese is important to developing strong bones and connective tissue. It is also high in Bomelain, an enzyme considered to be an anti-inflammatory, discouraging blood clot formation for frequent fliers. And this is for Kate Middleton’s royal pregnancy: pineapple is a natural folk remedy for curing morning sickness!
In addition to advising our blog friends to eat fresh pineapple and rub their own and each other’s feet (not at the same time, though) let’s also remind them of special days during the last full week of March.
March 27 is National “Joe” Day: If you aren’t crazy about your name, this is the day to call yourself “Joe” (or, I guess, maybe Jo-Anne?) March 29 is Smoke and Mirrors Day: This is the day of illusions, when things are not what they appear to be…intended to be used as part of mysteries or teases, not for harm.
And March 30 is “I Am In Control Day”—on March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was wounded in an assassination attempt. Secretary of State Alexander Haig said, “I am in control here.” The press focused on only this part of his statement, and eventually Haig resigned.
Now the context is to remind yourself that YOU ARE IN CONTROL. (Maybe this is in response to the March 9th Panic Day I mentioned in an earlier blog. If you did have a Panic Day then, you’re probably ready to get things under control now.)
We can joke and have fun with all these special days, Mom, but this last week of March is also getting ready for Easter. Next week I’ll share the poem you wrote before Easter in 1980, “ In God We Trust.” Until then, thank you for the fresh pineapple, the hot tea remedies and healing foot rubs, and especially for the loving attention you showered on us all. Love, Marylin
Things I Want To Tell My Mother 