Hey, guess what: I�ve been doing my one-mile morning walks for about two weeks now, and I don�t have the knee pain any more. And, my shins are hurting less now. I really look forward to those walks. It just feels good to move, and it seems to clear my head a bit. I�m adding an evening walk, too: J�s dad has moved in with his girlfriend, who lives one mile from my office, and I walk up there to fetch J three or four times a week.

The only things I�m not crazy about are (a) walking in my work clothes and (b) close calls with vehicles whose drivers prefer not to stop for pedestrians. Last week I was almost run over by a woman who stopped at the stop sign, waited until I was halfway across the street, and then barreled toward me. Then she slammed on the brakes, leaned on the horn, and inched toward me. �Hey! F-ck you!� I said, giving her the finger. (Because apparently I talk like that now. Short fuse and all.) A guy on the sidewalk applauded me.

People need to stop messing with me right now and just act right. But that seems unlikely, so I think I�ll keep to the route with stoplights at most of the intersections. Maybe when the weather gets bad I�ll cozy up to the treadmills at my gym. They seem friendly enough.

Today I haven�t accomplished much, but I did de-clutter my desk, refresh my tin of aromatherapy smelling salts (rosemary, lemongrass, and sweet orange�for alertness and clarity of mind) and stick up a photo of the D_alai Lama. Looking at him always makes me feel better, but I can�t explain exactly why. Maybe it will help me with my short fuse.

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