Posts Tagged ‘stress relief’

“One man’s stress reliever.” – Doc Meek

 Monday, November 29, 2010. Today I am grateful to know that we study, learn and memorize better when we are relaxed and alert, not stressed. I am thankful for the lesson in de-stressing given us by Dominick Birdsey, a character created by Wally Lamb (1998) in I Know This Much is True (not a book about religion).

I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb (1998) 
Early edition cover with Prize NoticeImage from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Know_This_Much_Is_True

Dominick’s twin brother, Thomas, suffers from mental illness and this creates great stresses for them both. Despite Dominick’s initial dislike of going to the gym for a stress-relieving workout, he later finds what does work for him (and you?).

Dominick Birdsey speaks to us from page 100 of Wally Lamb’s I Know This Much Is True:

“I actually started liking it down at Hardbodies [gym], though. Not the weight machines or the exercise bikes or any of that [crap]. There aren’t enough hours in the day as it is and I’m going to waste time riding a bike to nowhere?

“What I liked was the racquetball. Smashing those little blue balls against four walls felt good to me in a way nothing else had for a long time. Felt therapeutic, I guess. Racquetball spends you, you know? Sweats the p— and vinegar right out of you.

“Those little rubber balls can be anybody.”

Thank you, Dominick, for your insight about de-stressing! 😮

Doc Meek, Monday, November 29, 2010, at Nose Hill Public Library, Calgary, Alberta, CANADA

P.S. I am enjoying reading I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb (1998). What encouraged me to read this book was a comment in Publishers Weekly: ” . . . a fully developed and triumphantly resolved exploration of one man’s suffering and redemption.”

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

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