Is it what it is?

This may end up being a long-read blog entry. I’ll apologize now for that. But this has been buzzing around so much in my head that it keeps me awake at night, so I feel compelled to share it. This is my true story:

I have a new man in my life. His name is Craig. He is nice-looking (a plus), taller than me (always a plus!), confident without seeming cocky. He’s a bit younger than me (age is just a number, right?). He is both physically fit and physically active. He is a bit of a risk-taker (he’s bungee jumped multiple times!). He also takes great pride in his success and is almost like a “kid on Christmas morning” when he’s been successful.

Before we met, we talked by phone. We both understood that our ‘relationship’ would be one of physicality only, in order to meet aching physical needs.

I’ve seen Craig five times now. Our first time together was magical! I didn’t really know how deep my needs were until he satisfied them! I left him feeling rejuvenated and refreshed in a way I didn’t think was any longer possible. I got to see him a second time that week and, if possible, it was even better than the first time!

We always meet at his place. He has all of the accoutrements there to make things go more smoothly. As I’ve gotten more comfortable being with him, I’ve opened up to trusting him with, how do I say this…., different tools and positions. I got to be with him two times the next week as well, and always left him feeling so much more alive. It was fun to see him act almost joyfully whenever he got my body to respond to him, like I said, a kid on Christmas morning.

Then, last week happened…… I went to see him, looking forward to our time together. Things started out as before, and my body was learning how to be responsive to his touch, looking beyond any fleeting and momentary pain to the reward awaiting me on the other side. But last week ended up very different. In the last moments of our time together, he put me into a physical position that felt awkward. It was only slightly uncomfortable, but it was just odd. Still, I trusted him and moved and twisted as he wished. And then….. then he slammed into me with the entire weight of his body, making me cry out in unanticipated pain. And with that, my time with him was over.

On my way out, he told me he didn’t want to see me again until the next week. That raised questions, but he didn’t give me time to ask them. I wasn’t happy about that, but accepted it as what had to be.

Later, after I’d done my errands and settled down to eat and either read or watch TV, I started replaying those events in my mind. (I tend to do that most of the time – ruminate over something that happened recently.) When I stood up after a bit, my entire body felt like it was going to fold over and fall down! I ached from my shoulders to my hips and felt like an elderly lady with a serious case of osteoporosis, I was so bent over! The next day, I was still a little achy and sore and a little upset that he had hurt me like that.

Now, I’m supposed to meet up with him this coming week, and I’m nervous. I keep asking myself if that kind of pain was worth the pleasure and release from my other achiness. If I tell him, how will he react? I think he’d probably tell me he was sorry, tell me he didn’t mean to cause me that kind of hurt, and a part of me thinks he might tell me it was for my own good.

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As I said upfront, this is a true story. There is nothing in what I’ve just shared that didn’t happen. BUT, before you are ready to shake my shoulders, knock some sense into me, or plead with me to get away from him as fast as I can go, there are some other things you need to know. You see, I’ve told you the truth – but I haven’t told you the complete truth.

Craig is actually Dr. Craig (last name intentionally omitted). Dr. Craig is a Doctor of Chiropractic. I initiated contact with him because of ongoing pain in my right hip and some new pains in my neck (whiplash from a roller-skating accident 20+ years ago). Our relationship is totally of a physical nature. He has worked magic in these areas, as well as others. His accoutrements are different treatment tables and equipment, which is why we always meet at “his place”, his office. And yes, he really did contort me into a very odd position last week and then slam himself into me. My right hip was not being cooperative in aligning back where it belonged, and after using all of the tools at his disposal to try and manipulate it into position, he used his body weight. And yes, when he can get a patient’s body to realign in the way it was designed, he gets super-excited knowing he’s just relieved that patient’s pain in that area. Oh, and the reasons he slowed down my appointments are probably both for the progress that is being made as well my insurance coverage.

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And that, as Andy Rooney would say, is the REST of the story. I’ll remind you again – I’ve told you no falsehoods, nothing fake – but I set out to give you an incomplete picture in order to sway your thinking to a natural disposition based on what was presented to you. This action has been around for years, and it’s only gotten worse. Reality shows do some intense editing in order to omit things that blur the ‘idea’ of what has happened in the way they want you to see it. The concept of ‘taken out of context’ is exactly what those producers use to sway our opinions in a certain direction. Reporters, their editors, the station’s affiliates and even their commercial sponsors all seek to deceive us by giving us only information that sways us to lean towards what they think and believe. And we accept that because we trust those reporters, editors, station affiliates and brand name sponsors.

I don’t believe in the idea of “fake news”. I believe that what we are being told is truthful. I do, however, strongly believe in the idea of incomplete news, whether it be by things ‘taken out of context’ or by limiting the information so it becomes incomplete news.

So, let me ask you this…………. Is it what it is?