Rearview mirror...

"What a Difference a Day Makes" is an old standard with blah lyrics, but Dinah Washington turned up the heat on that old tune, taking it from lukewarm to a scorcher. I could now sing "What a Difference Some Months Make" and really wail. It's nearly July, and life isn't the blues, it's humming a different song. I've been walking three or four times a week, gradually increasing the distance when weather allows. Last week, I finally walked more than two miles, with the other two walks last week averaging more than one and a half miles, a distance arrived at by dividing the number of steps on my dollar store pedometer by my average stride (2,400 per mile). I'm off the Metformin completely, and my fasting blood sugar is averaging between 85 and 100. However, I'm still taking blood thinners and a statin. I don't climb on a scale except at the doctor's office, but I've lost at least 25-30 pounds. It's mostly due to eating a lot of vegetables, whole grains and fruits, as well as eschewing all alcohol. When I look in the mirror, a thinner face looks back, but I still have quite a lot of weight to drop. On one of my walks last week, a six-year-old kid I've encountered several times tagged along as I walked, listening my headphones, insisting, "You're fat. You're fat." Yesterday he tried to get my attention from across the street, but I carefully ignored him while concentrating on enjoying my soundtrack. Several years ago, I got a $35 Apacer .mp3 player, but didn't keep it charged. I recently resuscitated it, taking all the photos out of memory and cramming it with music, everything from Jobim and Miles to Don Pullen and Stevie Ray Vaughn. It also has a few of my percussive home studio pieces; I find they are the perfect tempo to pick up the pace. Now my walks are also an excuse to indulge in a little musical solitude. Meanwhile, I have cut back on watching the Food Network and Cooking Channel. I do not delve as frequently into Julia Child DVDs, Saveur and other foodie mags. It's simply too painful, although my email box is still full of recipes and other food porn. My mainstays have been Asian-derived ingredients and salads. I did indulge a bit too much in gai lan, which threw my blood thinner medication levels out of whack. How could I know that gai lan has five times as much vitamin K as broccoli? I've now backed off the spinach and bok choy, too. My cousin has shed 50 pounds by completely avoiding carbs. I haven't gone that far. I'm unable to completely give up brown rice, whole grain breads and the occasional rice noodle. But I do feel better. If my arteries, knees and feet will just hold up, I might make it to 70, or beyond.