May 9: Affectionate, Glad as Hell, Lou

"Holden!" she said right away.  She put her arms around my neck and all.  She's very affectionate.  I mean she's quite affectionate, for a child.  Sometimes she's even too affectionate.  I sort of gave her a kiss, and she said, "Whenja get home?"  She was glad as hell to see me.  You could tell.

I love reading about Holden and Phoebe, because the affection and love between them is palpable.  Even though they bicker through a good portion of their time together in Catcher, it's obvious they care about each other a great deal.   In fact, I think Phoebe saves Holden's life at the end of the book.

I saw my good friend, Lou, a little while ago.  She's the wife of another one of my good friends.  I haven't see Lou in a very long time, and we greeted each other like survivors of a prisoner of war camp.  Long hard hug.  A kiss.  As Holden might say, I was glad as hell to see her.

Lou is originally from South Africa, and she is one of the gentlest, kindest people I know.  She was working when I saw her, giving free chair massages at a health expo.  As she worked on my knots and kinks, we talked about her husband, the university, poetry, promotions, jobs, kids, spouses, and tenure.  In fifteen minutes.  Her husband teaches at the college, and he's working on his promotion/tenure materials.  Lou and I commiserated about the slightly toxic departmental politics at the moment.  We also commiserated over the fact that we hadn't seen each other for months.

When she was done massaging me, I felt loose, relaxed, and energized.  I also felt loved and respected and cared for.  I gave Lou another huge hug.  I promised to e-mail her, and we vowed to get together for a barbecue once the weather transitioned fully from winter to summer.

I don't always meet genuinely nice, sweet people every day.  Lou is one of the exceptions.  She made my day so much brighter.

And Saint Marty gives thanks for her.

Just a couple of good buds

May 10: Chair Massage, Energy, Loose

I got a chair massage at the Wellness Fair at work today.  I wasn't going to get anything done.  The person giving the foot massages was a former student of mine.  There wasn't any acupuncture, which I'd already talked myself into trying.  And then, just as I was making my way to the stairs to head back to the office, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Marty, how are you doing?"

I turned around.  The person giving the chair massages was my friend Louisa.  She's the wife of my friend Matt from the English Department.  (He teaches non-fiction writing and poetry and is sickeningly talented.)  Lou is from South Africa and has a great Afrikaans accent.  She is the loveliest person alive.

So I joined the line for a massage.  I knew that Lou was a massage therapist, but, oh my God, she's a freakin' massage miracle worker.  She went to work on my back for about ten minutes.  She pushed and pressured and rubbed.  The whole time, we were gabbing about English Department politics and her husband and classes.  When I got out of her chair, I felt absolutely loose and energized.  Still do.

My shoulders are relaxed.  My head has this nice buzz, like I'm thinking more clearly.  If I had a glass of wine right now, I'd pass out.  I just e-mailed Matt and told him his wife could put her hands on my body any time she wants.

Saint Marty is feeling fantastic.

Get in line!