About a week ago I was at the acupuncturist for this ongoing numbness in my right arm that I’m sporadically stricken with about 25 times a day, at least when I’m paying attention too it, because by now I’ve actually grown used to the sensation.
After my treatment, I was in the lobby making a new appointment when I heard this conversation with who I believe was the 80-year old American sculptor Nathaniel Kaz and his wife. He was dismissing the acupuncture and from what I understood, Chinese medicine in general: a total skeptic, with what little patience he seemed to have wearing thin. In hindsight I think he was just nervous.
His wife was trying to convince him how good he was going to feel. I have no idea what his ailment was or what he was there for. He may have been old but he was hardly infirm.
Katz: “You know what makes me feel good? To see a nice bronze casting.”
A trio of Doctors enters from a conference room and stand before him.
“The Three Graces.” He says.
Doctors: “We want to have you come into the examination room so we can ask you a few questions.
He looks over at his wife sitting next to him who’s looking away and obviously exasperated by this stubbornness and contempt on his part. He says, “Better you talk to her. I’m not conducive to this sort of thing.” Which I’m assuming in other words means I don’t really pay all that much attention to my body or what’s going on with myself.
Later on, I watch a black mother and her small daughter on the train, the daughter is doing whatever she can to irritate her mother who’s taking it graciously like an old dog getting poked by a child, until she’s had enough and finally says something to her daughter that I found not only funny and absurdly truthful, but applicable to most of us at some time or another.
“You won’t be happy until I make you cry.”
After my treatment, I was in the lobby making a new appointment when I heard this conversation with who I believe was the 80-year old American sculptor Nathaniel Kaz and his wife. He was dismissing the acupuncture and from what I understood, Chinese medicine in general: a total skeptic, with what little patience he seemed to have wearing thin. In hindsight I think he was just nervous.
His wife was trying to convince him how good he was going to feel. I have no idea what his ailment was or what he was there for. He may have been old but he was hardly infirm.
Katz: “You know what makes me feel good? To see a nice bronze casting.”
A trio of Doctors enters from a conference room and stand before him.
“The Three Graces.” He says.
Doctors: “We want to have you come into the examination room so we can ask you a few questions.
He looks over at his wife sitting next to him who’s looking away and obviously exasperated by this stubbornness and contempt on his part. He says, “Better you talk to her. I’m not conducive to this sort of thing.” Which I’m assuming in other words means I don’t really pay all that much attention to my body or what’s going on with myself.
• • •
Later on, I watch a black mother and her small daughter on the train, the daughter is doing whatever she can to irritate her mother who’s taking it graciously like an old dog getting poked by a child, until she’s had enough and finally says something to her daughter that I found not only funny and absurdly truthful, but applicable to most of us at some time or another.
“You won’t be happy until I make you cry.”
posted by Stewart A. Williams at
1:23 PM
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