Today I got to the office, got on my bike [stationary recumbent exercize] and right out the gate it was smooth sailing. I was firing on all cylinders, the wind was at my back, my timing was impeccable and I got in the zone early. Before I knew it I’d ridden for one hundred and ten minutes, burned a bunch of carbs, and achieved cardio bliss . I handled some phonecalls,scheduled some new business and achieved a zen-like state. So I jumped off my bike and organized and made a new musical mix C.D. for the road.It’s a blend of jazz, country, rhythm and blues, and rock . Today went smoothly because my depression over my mom’s demise is lifting because I’m exercising and creating endorphins. I don’t know what works for others but diet and exercize are the key factors in my health and well-being. If adversity had not reared it’s obscene snout I probably would not have discovered the perfect blend of diet and exercise that works for moi. My mom grew up on a farm with all older brothers. Between the great depression where her family subsisted on root vegetables for weeks at a time and her brother’s practical jokes she grew up tough. Once at our summer cottage at Lake Dunmore, Vermont we were gathered at the dinner table when someone spied a mouse. Everyone jumped up on their chairs including my dad while my mom chased the little bugger down and walloped him with a broom. No one or nothing was going to disturb her friends and family at her dinner table. That was Lee or Aunt Sis as the Engles called her. She was fearless. She had a sense of humor and often made funny faces to cheer me up when I was blue. I got the blues from the Russell genes and the Engle goofball genes would chase them away. She seemed to shine in arduous situations and actually so did my dad. I think most our parents did. I believe this country can get off it’s collective ass and fight this economic meltdown combined with our ecologic toxic debacles that we’ve created for our children. We must mirror our parents. We must remember their strength when they were faced with adversity. We must emulate them. My parents used to say that what we kids needed was a good depression and they were right. I used to think that that was the biggest oxymoron I’d ever heard but now I think that they were right. I intend to honor my mom and my dad by acting more like them when their backs were against the wall. So if you want to bitch about the economy or the gulf oil spill or the wildfires…Don’t call me. I’m standing tall, meeting adversity headon fighting back. Like the band the MC5 used to say “either you’re the problem or you’re the solution so kick out the jams …….
Pierce H. Russell