I got to Barwis a bit early and just waited around by the tables for Nick. When he came over, he helped me to stand to transfer but when he did that, for a moment, I felt sturdy and sure; it felt like standing was effortless. He felt it too and had me continue to stand. I was reminded of back when I used to work with Phil and would tell him that I could, “stand for days!” This was how I felt at that moment, but my waist bent and my butt stuck out and that standing for days didn’t feel like an option, standing for moments seemed improbable.
Nick pulled the right side of my butt toward him with a couple of his fingers and my butt was back under me but I kept teetering between, “standing for days” and just barely being able to remain upright. My legs began to shake. Nick and Megan both saw this and began yelling encouragements to get me to continue to stand and, “not let my butt hit the table.” I gritted my teeth and tried my hardest. Just before I finally was forced to sit, I rested my forehead on Nick’s “muscle boob.”
All the guys at a at Barwis have “muscle bobs.” I remember resting my forehead on many of their boobs out of sheer exhaustion when they’d help me to stand. Phil and Mike Morfitt stand out but I’m sure I rested my head on Jesse and Mike Rhoades. Everyone at Barwis is in optimal physical shape! Megan laughed and made a comment but understood how exhausted I was. As Nick and Megan were yelling, Luba came over to talk to Megan.
Once I was seated, Luba asked me what was going on. I laughed and told her that I was standing for like 10 years. She said that it sounded CRAZY! (All the yelling). I know I didn’t stand for 10 years, it may have only been 10 seconds but at least I was able to stand. Once on the table, I laid on my stomach and Nick started rolling my legs out.
I’ve always thought of him rolling some kind of dough out, nice and flat. I’ve pictured me as sugar cookie dough being rolled out nice and smooth, getting prepared to be cut into some cute shape. But this time, he rolled me deeper and pushed the stick harder. It felt good by all means but instead of sugar cookie dough, I pictured a tough ethnic woman rolling the dough into something more functional like biscuits or pasta.
After Nick was done rolling the backs of my legs and butt, he told me that we would, “Kick and Pull” meaning that I would do the “multiple muscle group PNFs” again and kick my leg out (foot toward the table) and immediately pull my foot to my butt once that motion was complete. I thought back to my young years competitively swimming in the summers growing up. I’ve talked about Mr. Bill (whom I LOVE) but Mr. Seitz was also my coach.
He used to talk out of the side of his mouth when he was addressing us swimmers in the pool. I guess to project his voice but I remember when he taught us the breaststroke and showed us the stroke with both arms on lg standing by the pool. He told us to, “Pull, kick, and glide.” He told us this often while teaching us the stroke. Even the words were unversed, I thought of him with fondness. I always smile when I thin of these two men!
After I completed some of these PNFs, I rolled over and Nick rolled the fronts, insides, and outsides of my thighs. I was tired but my legs felt good and loose. My mom easily got me into my car and she thanked Nick for the work he does with me. I involuntarily dozed on the ride home. When I woke up before we got to my house, my legs felt SO good!