BLOG 229–Your Amazing hands

With my words, I hope to throw some oblique light upon your life.
I WANT TO INSPIRE YOU TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY OR BETTER!   

*** The joy I am experiencing in life is a marvelous thing!
*** To read past blog posts, go to >> kitsummers.com/blog/
*** Hit by two trucks, one involving a 37-day coma, I remain happy.
*** If you are reading this through Facebook, check out my blog on my website.
*** Thanks, my wife, Beth, for editing and adding to each weekly blog.
*** I will have places to show you and tales to tell.
*** Secrets to unfold and good news!

BE TAKEN AWAY WITH ME
ON WONDERFUL ADVENTURES!

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TOPIC FOR THIS WEEK—YOUR AMAZING HANDS!
 
My hands have been used for most of my life to keep things in the air–YES, a juggler I am. Did you see the video of me using my hands to manipulate objects while headlining at Ballys in Atlantic City?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZALVajgH6Q&t=474s
 
One of the most complex parts of the human body is also one (or rather two) we use hundreds of times daily, yet, we often take them for granted. For instance, do you ever think about how your mind knows how you catch and throw a ball?
 
Human hands are our body’s tools for multipurpose use. Each hand has 27 specialty bones; about half of those are found in our fingers. These tactile appendages will bend, lift, and flex about 25 million times throughout our lifetime. There are 206 bones in the average adult human body; our hands take up the most. Each hand is home to 27 bones and 34 muscles, and 123 ligaments–in just one hand!
   
Then, our fingers can perform everyday tasks thanks to the thousands of nerve endings contained within. Touch receptors can sense pressure, movement, texture, temperature, etc. But there’s one thing our hardworking digits don’t have–muscles–surprise, surprise!
 
Fast hands in juggling are a significant asset that can help jugglers throw better and more accurately, With this power directly coming from using the speed of hands, too. And there are ways to improve hand speed.
 
Here’s a simple example of strength for juggling or otherwise. Strength development is essential to speed up the outcome of your hands. Strength training is crucial in juggling because you want to recruit more muscles to help you push yourself for better juggling. This would allow you to do the same function more easily and quickly. And, as you would know, this would help anyone.
 
During my time juggling, when I wanted to increase my hand speed, I would focus on doing more push-ups and pull-ups. You should do at least 50 pushups and pull-ups daily in your workout routine. This is good for juggling speed and overall conditioning.
 
The dominant thrower is usually the person who can fire their muscles faster than another juggler and apply more force. All the muscles in your body are comprised of both fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers.   
 
The fast-muscle fibers help you to move quickly and explosively. The slow-twitch muscle fibers help you sustain your activity over a long period. Developing your fast-twitch muscle fibers to increase your hand speed will allow you to do more significant juggling and other hand skills. This makes better saves, as you become a better overall athlete.
   
Remember that your eyes must be as fast and robust as your hands. Your eyes have everything to do with your hands, body, and all the skills needed to be an elite juggler or gamesman. The point is your eyes should tell your body what to do next. The more your eyes are disciplined, the more possibilities you can perform your juggling successfully.
     
To develop your eye discipline, stare straight at a spot on the wall. Have someone hold up a piece of paper so you can only see with your peripheral vision—no turning of your head, of course. This exercise will allow your eyes to see more while focusing on a single direction. For me, this was beneficial for juggling and running. Also, this will teach you to isolate for many ball games too.
 
Developing quick hands is about more than just working on the hands. Instead, it’s a combination of the whole body working with your eyes to take you up to the next level. Some experts estimate that a quarter of the motor cortex, the part of the brain responsible for voluntary movement, is devoted to manipulating our hands alone, for juggling or otherwise.
 
Although hands are impressive forms, they only beat our feet by just one minor bone. Human hands and feet developed similarly because primate ancestors walked on all fours.
 
How bout this? Have you ever seen a foot juggler? Almost every bone in your hand is controlled in a pattern similar to the metatarsals in your foot. The only exception to the number of bones is a bone located at the edge of the wrist called the pisiform, which connects various ligaments and tendons.
     
How do fingers perform the intricate tasks we require without them, like juggling, for instance? Human fingers are controlled by the muscles that go down our forearms and the tops and palms of our hands. Then, small intrinsic muscles in each hand allow your fingers to perform fine motor movements, such as juggling. While extrinsic muscles in the forearm and elbow control how the wrist and hand movements for those delicate juggling moves.
   
The bones in your fingers (aka phalanges) are connected to these muscles by tendons — fibrous, cord-like connective tissues — and fingers can perform their range of motion when the attached muscles contract for juggling or whatever you need.
   
And flexor tendons in the palm help fingers to bend, while extensor tendons on the top of the hand are responsible for straightening the fingers back out to grab that ball — basic movements that allow our hands to grasp, touch, hold, and throw objects.
 
Can you juggle?
If not, it’s time to learn.
By my friend, Niels >>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2_j6kMg1co&t=225s
 
Some interesting facts about your hands >>
 
**The human hand has 27 bones, 29 joints, and at least 123 named ligaments.
 
**What sets our hands apart from other animals is our opposable thumbs—this means our thumbs and fingers can work together (fun fact: koala bears, like us, also have opposable thumbs.)
 
**Did you know you cannot get a tan on the underside of your fingers or palm? Try it; you’ll see.
 
**Fingerprints are unique DNA imprint that is different in every human being. No two human beings in the world have similar fingerprints.
 
**Tons of words include ‘hand’–handy, handwriting, handiwork, handle, handbag, handsome, handball, etc.
 
**The average length of a hand for adult women is 6.7 inches. For men, it is 7.4 inches.
 
**Fingers don’t have muscles—the forearm muscles move tendons in our fingers.
 
**Men tend to have longer ring fingers than index fingers—girls, the opposite.
 
**Hand specialists say the index finger is the best to lose—if you had a choice. The index finger is needed the least.
 
**Fingernails show your state of health—your nails can indicate problems such as mineral or vitamin deficiencies, liver trouble, thyroid, or anemia.
 
**Some warning signs of deficiencies on your fingernails may be that they are brittle, pale, or spotted.
 
**The color of the fingernails and those small “moons” on each nail can identify the quality of oxygen level of the bloodstream and blood circulation.
 
**Your fingers are even more sensitive than your eyes—the fingertips have many receptors responsible for sending messages to the brain.
 
**The vein on your ring finger is called Venna Amoris—and the vein has a direct line with the human heart and is known as the vein of love. That’s why we wear an engagement ring on the left hand’s finger!
 
**Nails stop growing after death. Did you ever notice?
 
**Structurally, fingernails are modified hairs.
 
**Did you know Julius Caesar ordered the thumbs of captured prisoners to be cut off?
 
**6% of all men and 9.9% of all women are left-handed. Are you?
 
**It takes up to 6 months for your fingernail to grow from root to tip.

You are amazing!
I would love to shake your hand.
 
What new stories are you ready to write?

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WORDS TO INSPIRE YOU! >>
Inspirational quotes and motivational sayings have a unique ability to change the way we feel about life and can change our thinking.
 
They are so interesting, challenging, and essential on our path to joy, happiness, and finding ways to inspire ourselves and others.

Inspirational quotes and ideas give us a quick and timely burst of wisdom to get our focus back, offering the inspiration needed for the day or occasion.
 
I hope to inspire you with my words.
Words have power.
 
Are you accomplishing what you want before your eventual death?
At any age, you can (and should) make changes to make your life better.
 
How you think and feel about yourself, including your beliefs and expectations about what is possible, determines everything in your life, and it all derives from your quality of thinking.

WHEN YOU IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF YOUR THINKING,
YOU CHANGE THE QUALITY OF YOUR LIFE—SOMETIMES INSTANTLY!

Just as positive words can make someone smile, and a well-timed amusing quote can make someone laugh, your thoughts react to the world in real-time. You have this control!
 
You have complete control over only one thing in the universe — Your Thinking —, and that’s where motivational quotes come in!
 
To keep your motivation, you have to use each day as an opportunity to improve and get closer to your goals. It might sound like a lot of work—and with your busy schedule—next to impossible. But you can do it!

Self-talk is so essential—THINK RIGHT!

   
Motivational words, yes, they are just words.
But they are positive words; they will keep you on track.

EVEN IF YOU START LATE, ARE UNCERTAIN,
OR ARE DIFFERENT –
YOU CAN STILL FIND SUCCESS!
Don’t forget that you are only as young as the last time you changed your mind!
Keep your thoughts and self-talk fun and productive, and always reach for more advancement.
 
REMEMBER, VERY LITTLE IS NEEDED TO MAKE A GREAT LIFE.

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I HOPE THE FOLLOWING WORDS INSPIRE YOU >>
 
“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”
Audrey Hepburn
 
“What we say and do ultimately comes back to us, so let us own our responsibility, place it in our hands, and carry it with dignity and strength.”
Gloria E. Anzaldúa
 
“She took it, running her fingers over the flesh. It was as rough as the wood grain of the table in the dining hall, the skin along his thumb as hard and dry as leather cracking with age. No wonder he could work all day and not complain.”
Scott Westerfeld
 
“For hands to do Rome service is but vain.”
William Shakespeare
 
“He held out his hand to help me up.
And I took it.
I let him pull me to my feet.”
Kate DiCamillo
 
“He took hold of Shmuel’s tiny hand in his and squeezed it tightly.
‘You’re my best friend, Shmuel,’ he said. ‘My best friend.”
John Boyne
 
I conjure the boy I knew. Achilles grins as the figs blur in his hands. His green eyes laugh. Catch, he says.
Madeleine Miller
 
“Today, whatever you want. If you wish, you may eat with both hands and both feet. So get in there and munch. Have a big munch-er-oo!”
Dr. Seuss
 
“You are a dangerous collection of all my favorite things.
An old soul, a heart of gold, and hands that make my body sing.”
Nikita Gill

COMPOSE A NOBLE BOOK AND WRITE A BEST-SELLER.
YOU ARE AMAZING—PLAY YOUR PART!

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MY DAILY JOTTINGS >>
Each week goes by so quickly, don’t you think?
And time is going faster all the time.
Do you keep track of what you do each day?
Do this for a few weeks, and you will see your time differently.

   
7/7–Starting on painting the bedroom. I do not aim for perfection, but I try to. This is something anyone can do–to strive for perfection rather than mediocrity. Whether you have gone through a brain injury or some other kind of change, you can still work toward perfection within you.

7/8–I Finished painting the bedroom today; it turned out quite lovely. It is easy to paint a room, have you ever? You don’t need to hire a remarkable painter.
 
Yes, it’s summer now. But, I continue to get wood for next winter. Ken, who built the tops for my planters, has much scrap wood to remove; I am happy for this to burn next winter.
 
Our friends, Valerie and Jeff, recently bought a new abode. We will be going over tomorrow to see the new place. Valerie likes Seinfeld, so Beth bought many Seinfeld gags and gifts, hopefully to laughter and joy, which we will present tomorrow.

7/9-We visited Valerie and Jeff, who recently moved into their brand-new home (today was Jeff’s 70th birthday!) Valerie and Beth worked together at the McCormick Library. What an excellent place for Jeff and Valerie to retire to. This home is in the woods.
     
I am painting the molding at the bottom of each wall in our bedroom. We choose a nature green and brown color and want a wilderness-type setting. This will match the wilderness mural that I already put up. Then, I want to have plants so we can sleep like in nature.
 
7/10–As usual, up early again, about 2:30 am. Today my friend, Peter Kenny, stopped by for a visit on a drive from Atlanta, GA, to Myrtle Beach, SC. Peter was born without one leg and is quite an exciting man, and he has achieved wonders.
The early days saw Peter working with circus in various capacities; he did much for and with the show. Later, he had a significant change. He studied and works with a banking/investment firm in New York City, where he was born and lives now.

I have made some of my famous salsa recently. Peter loved the taste, and that was lunch. Did you ever see >> summerssalsa.com
 
Of course, the horses made their daily appearance while Peter was here. The three of them stand at the fence and want carrots. Peter fed some to the hungry and massive creatures.

When I last saw Peter, I taught him to juggle with the scarves. I am surprised he had not learned before. Then, today, I brought out the balls, and he is throwing the 3 balls like a professional.
 
7/11–a sweltering day, but I got out there and worked on the garden. I had planted some raspberries (why is there a “p” in that word?) I purchased some last month, but they have thorns in them. I knew there were ones without thorns, so I looked and ordered. The new raspberry plants will go into the garden, and I will plant the others by the fence.
 
Also, the weed clothe came in. This is a barrier I put down between the gardens so that we have no growth where we walk. This keeps everything looking splendid.

7/12–Limited sleep for me, once again. I did sleep until about 3am, though. More work on the bedroom; it is looking fantastic. Did you see the photos?
   
Recently they started having food trucks come into downtown McCormick (where we live.) Once a week, a crowd was there, and they should keep it going. Curious, I went to a Mexican stand and ordered one taco. This thing was tiny. The tacos I make are delicious and cost less than a dime. Now, which would you choose?
 
7/13–Another lovely sunny day looks to be setting up. Now that the gardens are all set, there is nothing to work on. I spread some plants, took more space, and planted more lettuce. As I wrote, once you have a garden established, there is nothing really left to do.
   
Do you want a lawn to grow and take care of? I would think not. What a waste of time and money. Plant edible vegetables; you will have plenty to eat and feed friends and neighbors. Get with the picture; plant some edible plants. It will make you happy.
   
7/14–Continuing to work on improving the gardens. Today we discovered a pest that is a pretty yellow color. The Mexican Bean Beetle, what a beautiful bug, but it is eating our plants! I hate to kill them, but that will be necessary. We will spray the plants with Meem Oil, a safe killer (could there be one?)
 
Today I harvested the potatoes I grew. Some were relatively small but edible. I put them into a food processor and diced them all up. They should be a delicious breakfast meal for some time.

IS IT TIME TO “MAKE” THINGS HAPPEN AND LIVE A FULLER LIFE?
“Make” a great week for yourself.

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YOUR CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK > >
In the past, I suggested you pick a room in your home and make it exquisite.
 
It’s time to select a second room in your house and make it a space that others will discuss after seeing it.
 
It is up to you; you can live in excellence or mediocrity.
What do you think, which for you?
 
Do something new daily, then keep doing it for the rest of your life.
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NEXT BLOG
The bedroom will be finished, you will see.
And, is your home improved?
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