I am admittedly a little bit old-“school”. Though I have fully embraced technology, I do still appreciate the simplicity and peace of reading the morning newspaper and having a cup of freshly-brewed java along with it. I might be one of the 10 or so people left on the planet that are still reading the paper the old-fashioned way.
When you read the news, and ponder what you’re actually reading, you’re oftentimes left wondering. Did someone really say that? Really? Seriously? Surely you jest. Truth can, at times, be stranger than fiction.
Some of these “newsworthy" items (and I use that phrase loosely) make you want to laugh. Or throw up. Or something in between the two. They may not deserve a full blog post to themselves, but do deserve the light of day.
Today, I am starting a new feature called “Rhubarb Ruminations”. You’ve seen the occasional “Playlist Pondering” as I have reflected on music. Similar concept, different topic. A rhubarb is a “quarrel, fight or heated discussion”, and I think that there are some things that merit a little bit of discussion in our world. Rhubarb is also a plant that is also known for it’s medicinal qualities – as a laxative, among other things. Rumination is simply the act of pondering, or perhaps even more appropriate, the “act or process of chewing cud”. This, of course, is stimulated by the presence of roughage, something that rhubarb would certainly provide. Suffice it to say that “Rhubarb Ruminations” will provide some hot and tasty news briefs, regurgitated Rhubarb-style, to keep you thinking, discussing, and maybe even laughing.
So today I bring to you a few classic items from the last 24 hours. And they just happen to revolve around, imagine this, the Party Of No.
We are faced with our own mortality on a regular basis. We may build a bucket list - a list of things you want to do before you die – because of this sense of “holy crap, I need to do some things while I have time remaining on this planet”. The phrase became more widely used after the release of the movie of the same name starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.
In principle, the bucket list makes good sense. I understand that people may have a list of items that they want to experience prior to departing this world. Or things they want to see or do. And I get that. Hell, I probably have a few of my own.
But it's the modern-day interpretation of it that loses me. You complete the bucket list item, say “I did that”, scratch it off the list, and move on to the next item. It’s done. It’s so 21st century.
In my humble opinion, there is so much more to life than just knocking a bunch of items off a to-do list. And therein lies the incongruity for me. Is the bucket list about “the journey” or “the destination”? Is the bucket list about “doing things”? Or is it about the journey of self-actualization, context and growth? Is it about our “instant gratification” mentality, our drive to achieve and to accomplish, our need for a defining moment that gives us meaning? Or is it about leaving a legacy for the world to enjoy when we are gone?
Friendship. It’s a word that used to have a fairly consistent meaning amongst people. There are certain things you would do – and wouldn’t do – to your friends. There was a certain responsibility to the process of friendship because you had a great deal of accountability and very little anonymity.
But that was back when our friendships were defined by our face-to-face interactions.
In the present day world of social networking, it has come to mean something, well, completely different. It’s a strange new world out there now that social media is a part of our daily lives.
There was a time when your friendships evolved from time spent together in each others’ presence, snail mail, and maybe even a phone call or two. You certainly didn’t have a digital existence. It was all so – analog. And simple.
But then there was email, followed shortly thereafter by Prodigy, America Online, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter … the list goes on. Now, you have a digital filter. Now, you have a degree of anonymity behind the monitor. Now, you have LOL and LMAO and emoticons. Now, we’re faced with the context of a digital existence dovetailing with your life. The journey that is friendship shows some tricky new twists and turns. Or does it?
Thinking and legislating. You would have to start to wonder if these were just two divergent ends of the same political spectrum. No, really, you can think and be a legislator at the same time - unless someone is in your pocket. Some fat cat special interest. Then it’s really tough to maintain your focus on reason with someone groveling around in your trousers. But I digress. More on that later.
The United States has recently joined the rest of the world’s industrialized nations in addressing the issue of health care reform. A little slow to the party perhaps, but still there nonetheless. There are now signs that efforts are actually being made to resolve a problem that is spiraling out of control.
It hasn’t been without it’s share of spewing of vitriol, hate and fear. In the lead-up to voting, you heard plenty of misinformation. It went well beyond the bill itself. You had conservative pundits and talking heads making statements about the demise of democracy. You might have even heard mention of the impending onset of Communism and, yes, even Armageddon. Hysteria. Fear. Chicken Little was actually making a 21st century appearance of sorts.
But it gets even more humorous.
You know it’s a sad day when this headline actually becomes a reality.
There was a time in January 2010 when the University of Texas men’s basketball team was 17 – 0 and atop the national rankings. Number one. They were typically going 10-deep on the roster without any loss of quality or production.
They were a “can’t miss” Final Four team if ever I’ve seen one.
And now? After staggering into the NCAA tournament, this same team was eliminated in the first round by a Wake Forest team that subsequently had it’s proverbial backside handed to it by Kentucky one day later.
Texas is one of only five teams in NCAA history to have been #1 and then unranked. That’s not a statistic of which we should be proud. But there are plenty of reasons for their demise this season, and they start from the top.
Some may call it the way of God, or Buddha, or Vishnu, or Allah, or any one of countless theological deities. Some may call it The Way, the universal force – or otherwise. Call it what you will. I just know, from my time on the third stone from the sun, that the universe will provide if we open our awareness to the world around us. The universe has a way of reminding us, of guiding us, of teaching us a few things if we simply pay attention.
Sometimes, common themes emerge. Apparently, there are times when the universe really wants you to understand something, really wants you to take note and learn something. And with that in mind, the theme that hath come full circle repeatedly of late is one of serenity.
Caballo Blanco spoke the words to me a few months ago. His words were direct, soft-spoken, and heartfelt. He spoke of serenity in the context of running, and specifically, running with the Tarahumara of northern Mexico. But the essence of his words was more than just a tale of running. It went far deeper than that. The universe was speaking through him, and I felt obliged to listen.
If you want a fine example of where this country’s health care system is headed without reform, just take a look deep in the heart of Texas. It’s not a very rosy future. As I have mentioned many times before, the key elements to the discussion focus on cost, quality, and access – all issues of significant importance to Texans.
Let’s start off with some terrifying numbers. Consider this: 25% of the population of Texas are uninsured. Nationally, 20% of all Americans under the age of 65 are uninsured. As they say, everything is bigger in Texas. Ah but it gets better. The Austin American-Statesman has recently reported that 500,000 state workers – those with some of the best healthcare benefits in the state – are facing a $143 million deficit in their health care fund. That amounts to a budget increase of 14% over the next year. By 2015, the plan that provides health insurance for 193,000 retired public school employees will be insolvent. This all amounts to increases in premiums and greater out-of-pocket expenses for state workers. And when state workers are impacted (those that already have good health insurance coverage), what happens to those that have lousy or no coverage at all?
Along similar lines, Texas and California have the highest healthcare costs in the nation. In Texas, you might even be one of the 3.4 million people that forego treatment because they can’t cover the cost of care. This is second only to California, at 3.6 million.
Thus far, coverage is shrinking and costs are rising. That’s not a very healthy outlook. But, again, it gets worse.
Up to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.
"Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the third edition and fourth editions of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach" by Charles Giangarra, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.
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