AT RISE: It’s morning in the distance learning homeschool. Mom is crossing the room from the kitchen when Boy stands up from his desk.
BOY: Haha, I just figured out why I’m cold. [Heads towards bedroom.] I was wondering then I realized I’m not wearing a jacket or anything. [Crosses in front of mom.]
Mom drew and colored this image from a photo she took of him in his room on 3/18/21.
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Gavin havin’ his own room is new since the pandemic and it’s a small but extremely cool space.
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Gavin loves it. We all do.
DaddyLove: “She even captured the black void of a cat.”
Me, showing it to ClaraJane: “Isn’t it so awesome?”
CJ: “Yeah. And it’s absolutely accurate too!”
She’s right. The accuracy is uncanny: the shape of the rectory building outside, the pastels of the bulletin board on the window sill, the posture of the cat, the New Yorker anthologies, the ladder to his bunk bed, the moccasins, of course the bean bag and the blue reading pillow; and Gavin’s hair and expression.
After ClaraJane reports lower right back pain enough times, I get her in to the chiropractor.
Dr. Lowey II shows ClaraJane the Sacroilliac Joint
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My own chiro, Dr. Ken Lowey of Newton Center Chiropractic, has saved -restored!- my life functioning a multitude of times, and is arguably the most pleasant person I’ve ever met.
Fun fact for today’s appointment; his child, Dr. Drew Lowey, treated my child!
In the “shocked but not surprised” department, Dr. Drew reports seeing a lot of kids presenting with adult stress disorders these days… from all the damn pandemic screen time.
Sure enough her Sacroilliac Joint is out of alignment, from sitting too much and not enough exercise. Also, due to the confines of the Chromebook, proper ergonomic alignment -all right angles- is not even possible. My son has it better with his desk top computer.
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Gavin’s mostly right-ish angles at his desk.
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Dr. Drew asks me how much exercise she gets. I’m like:
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He puts her through the paces to identify the problem, massages the area, starts moving vertibrae back into alignment using “The Activator” (a little percussion tool that sounds like a staple gun), prescribes some targeted daily stretches for her to do, gives us the student rate of $35, recommends 2-3 more treatments tops, approves a standing desk and says, “What I want you to do is just; go run around. Every day.”
Fortunately that’s one of her favorite things to do with (other peoples’) dogs in the park anyway.
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Dr. Drew of Newton Center Chriopractic; lovely, helpful and inspiring like his dad.
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Once home, I set up her standing desk right away, courtesy of the book shelf, AND the balance board.
CJ at “School” on the Chromebook.
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She even seems to like it.
“Go away mom. I’m in a meeting.”
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I shudder with the privilege of having my child present with such solvable problems, knowing full well that when it comes to health there is no entitlement to that kind of outcome. Ever.
All I can do I shut my mouth* in the deafening supplication of gratitude.
*(Symbolically anyway. Since like, there is zero chance I will ever actually shut my mouth.)
We’re having a high-maintenance theme to ClaraJane’s week. Today’s flavor is ophthalmology.
The lovely tech at Somerville Hospital administers one of many eye exam tests.
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Long story short, girlfriend is nearsighted in her left eye, sees perfectly through her right, and has two totally healthy eyeballs; just a little “big” in length from front to back, making it… (?)impossible for her left pupil to dilate enough for her to see far. That’s it.
Phew! Cuz man, the eyeball situation on her dad’s side of the family is wild. For her to escape with two immaculately healthy eyes is both a blessing and a bullet dodged.
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[Old-timey Oberhauser family photo here.]
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Me: Are there any therapeutic exercises she can do to promote health and function in her eyes?
Eye Doctor: No. But here’s a prescription for glasses.
Me: [Underwhelmed.] Should we fill it?
Eye Doctor: [Shrugs.] Up to you.
Also Me: Should I blow up this picture of ClaraJane for her brother’s wall?
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Her Brother: Um… how ’bout, no? No thank you! [Laughs nervously.]
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Back at home and feeling woozy from the ordeal of dilated pupils, she is remanded to the couch, with her favorite Nurse of course; Peter Porker. Peter Parkour! Peter Parker.
circuskitchen 