Portland Color Palette

Excellent meeting with the back doctor today. I have been seeing her for about a year, and today was the first time I’ve seen her without a mask. She’s lovely: young, vibrant, quick to smile, intelligent eyes. The anti-inflammatory diet has been a challenge, but I’ve been on it for the past two months, and it is working. I’m no longer taking ibuprofen, and all talk of destroying the nerves in my back is off the table. 

No sugar. No wheat (alas, no pasta). No processed foods. No meat. Not much dairy (live cultures are ok), sparing with fruit. She says I might need a little more protein than I’m getting. Maybe a piece of chicken or fish now and then. But the arthritis is much less troublesome. Next step: rebuild some stamina. 

Working with the zoom lens today, I sat on some stairs opposite this tagged wall and waited to see who would come along. 

Thought for the day: We MUST stand up courageously, not for just one people or another, but for all of humanity— what happens to my Palestinian brothers and sisters affects what happens to ALL people. We are all one people and we are destroying not only ourselves but non-human life and this planet that is our home—Sally Bowden-Schaible, founder of BANVAHR: Buddhist Alliance for Non-Violence & Human Rights in Israel-Palestine.