Jimtown (historical)

The rain finally stopped today; it's 40 degrees and cloudy. There are ice and snow storms to the north and west of me, so I am grateful that it's only 40 degress here. The last couple of days, I've been going back and forth between running errands, hanging out at the campground, working and writing, and being at my daughter's place.

Yesterday, I went for some body work. Over a year ago, a patient told me about a local massage therapist who does RAPID Neurofascial Reset. What is that? This is what the website says: RAPID Therapists use a a combination of hands on palpation, examination, and treatment. The RAPID provider palpates the tissues with his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Hypersensitive areas are treated by combining precisely directed depth and tension with very specific patient movements. RAPID sessions may be uncomfortable. This occurs as the neurological system is being stimulated to restore normal function. https://www.rapidnfr.com/ Basically, the therapist has me put my muscle, head or arm, in a certain position, then he pushes very hard on one spot and has me move my head or arm in the opposite direction. He repeats this on all the spots and with all the muscles. I see Johnathan Dupree at the Central Florida Muscle Medic in Plant City. It is pretty painful. His office is called the "torture chamber" by his clients. It is so worth it though. This technique has literally changed my life. It has eliminated muscle pain and helps me keep the muscle tension in my neck, shoulders and back under control. Last fall, after going to physical therapy, chiropractor, massage, taking muscle relaxers etc, this technique was the only thing that quieted the TMJ pain that I was having. I try to go every two weeks to maintain. Since I'm out of town for more than two weeks, I tried another therapist here in the Knoxville area yesterday. Wanda was really good, and she incorporated the RAPID into a regular massage. But she didn't exactly do it the same way that Johnathan does it. Personally, I feel like Johnathan's technique is better for me. But the beauty of this work is that you don't get the full effect immediately after the treatment. It actually keeps working over the next couple of days.

Last night, I had my 15 minute Zoom call with the writing course instructor, Matt. It was very quick, but I came in prepared and was able to get a lot of questions answered and general direction for my book article and title. He was very supportive of my book topic and gave me a few great suggestions. "That's where you need to start; just do away with the first three paragraphs," he said. I stayed up until almost 2 am rewriting my book article. It's close to being completed.

My daughters and I did a video chat and had a toast to our new baby boy in the family. We're planning a return trip sometime in late March.

Last night, I also met with my Hero's Journey Group via Zoom. Last year, six to seven of us met every two weeks to go through the leadership course together. We like each other so much that at the end of the year, we decided to do it again this year; however, only meeting once a month. These are people from all over the country who want to grow and have big plans. It's been great to share together and watch how our lives have changed over the last year. One of the women in our group is a recently retired nurse who developed a medical device. She developed the product through testing and got it close to market ready, and then sold her product to a large company who will take it to market. It's a stick-on light that can be used on the patient's skin or in an ambulance or other place to better illuminate the patient for a therapy. It's great for starting IV's in an ambulance or inserting a catheter. Another man in the group is also an inventer and is working on a few new inventions, and has applied for a national grant to help fund his work. He is trying to develop an alternative to the foley catheter to decrease urinary tract infections. There's a woman who brilliantly leads a team at her work; a man who owns a few businesses including a contruction company. He is now working on a new construction housing development. And finally, there's a man who is in health care recruiting sales; he finds doctors to work for hospitals. He sets and meets high sales goals. We're a diverse group of people and have bonded over the last year.

Tomorrow I'm headed to Nashville for the weekend. Gonna liven up this party! I've got a load of laundry to do tonight and I'll be working on my writing some more. I'm starting to think I might go home earlier than I was expecting. Not sure how much my daughter needs me. I'm going to feel that out when I return. But I do plan to book stays here at the campground early next week and maybe drive back home through the Smokey Mountains if the weather is decent. The weather is supposed to be great Sunday - Tuesday, so I'm planning to do some more hiking, and that colder water plunge.Read more