It was early sunrise as my husband drove me to the hospital emergency room. Throbbing pains were spiking up the back of my head with every breath. “Why is this happening!?” I cried.
The X-rays answered my distress. Arthritis, almost fusing three cervical vertebrae, pointed to a deterioration of the discs, with spurs forming a bridge over the vertebrae. Rather than surgery, rehabilitation with neck stretches and muscle strengthening was the order of the day.
A parallel story is playing out in our body politic where extreme partisanship is tightening powerful spinal muscles. Our national backbone is becoming fused by a stiffening of positions that prohibits flexibility and causes unrelenting pain to the whole democratic body.
What kind of rehab would heal this body? Well, I started my therapy by first tilting my neck very gradually to the right shoulder, even as my body resisted that exercise. Then it was a gentle tilt to the left shoulder, trying to relax and hold the stretch. A message to the brain is sent that loosening up is good.
We the people can boldly name this truth about the frozen backbone of our nation. We can teach, coach, and demand that balancing different perspectives on the right and on the left is essential for healing our dysfunctional body. Democratic muscles need to work in concert for the good of all citizens of this great nation.
I’m Connie Seraphine, and that’s my perspective