Saw Doc S this morning.
No change in the anti-depressants.
She warded me from anti-schizophrenia meds.    Doc S said that, with my history, the side effects could be worse than any potential help.    If the voices persist, we may have to resort to that, but so far, so good.

Despite the cold and the snow, I kept with my usual routine and hit the gym.  My sister bought me new Hokas and really want to put them through the paces before going to Florida.  That meant two pretty intense hours on the elliptical.  I really kept up the pace today.   Was pretty proud of my self.   I did an hour on the leg track thingy, but the shoes began to really hurt the sides of my feet.   I didn’t do the stair climber, but settled on the exercise bike – something that I never do.

While I was messing with a game and half watching Fox news, Ron took the bike next to me.  There were other bikes avaliable, but I don’t mind if someone uses the machine next to me.   It’s a free country.

Besides, I kind of know Ron.  (Then again, I kind of  ‘know’ all of the morning gym regulars.)  Despite being 61, as he disclosed to me, Ron is well-built.   He’s been a personal trainer for the forty-four years and is married to a Zumba instructor named Michelle.

I didn’t know anything about Ron before.   We’d just do a little wave or smile when we saw each other.   It’s kind of like a distant comrades-in-arms thing.  I had long ago labeled him as an older Doctor Cox (from Scrubs) because of his shaved head and body built.  (I’m pretty good about attacking random labels to people who I see somewhat frequently, but have no clue who they are.)

Anyway, I learned a lot more about Ron today than I probably really wanted to.  I learned that God sometimes uses him as a mouthpiece and lets the good word flow through him.  –  Ron’s words, not mine.  He firmly believes that the end of times is just around the corner because Isreal became a state in 1948.   Apparently, somewhere in the Bible, it says that a generation will not be born past the statehood of Isreal.

I know I’m totally mangling it.   I can’t quite remember what he said, but it was something like that.   His theory is that the end of times would begin around 70 years after Isreal became a state.   Which, pretty much happens to be now.

He also thinks that Trump is part of the end-of-times.    I really couldn’t get an idea of Ron is conservative or liberal, but he linked Trump’s name to be a type of abbreviation of trump-et.    Trumpet, as in the Horn of Gabriel which announces Judgement Day.

Ron has acronyms.

ASAP
Always
Say
A Prayer

He had one for FAITH to.
Fantastic
Adventures
In
Trusting
Him

I hadn’t heard them before and thought it was kind of clever.  I’m pretty sure Ron didn’t come up with that by himself.

He pulled out this Christmas bracelet.   It’s a cheap rubber band that I wore at the House.  “God Is Good” is stamped across it with red letters.  He said he had a million of them and I have no doubt that he does.  He briefly lamented on the disappearance of WWJD.

But, I guess the thing is that he talked to me for about half an hour or so.  All I felt that I could do is nod every now and then.   If he asked me a question, he answered it with zero input from me.   I received a couple of compliments that he felt that I was trying to balance my mind, body, and soul.

I guess that’s kind of astute, in a really vague sort of way.

Towards the end of our ‘discussion,’ he said that I already knew everything he was saying and, when the time comes and good people like us disappear, the world will dissolve into chaos.  That’s why it’s important that we live in the moment, because our moments are numbered.

Ron, who only ever warranted a brief wave or smile, unloads and feels like I am a spiritual brethren.

It was just really kind of an odd slightly uncomfortable one-sided discussion.

Hum.

Well, I’m wearing the cheap bracelet for the moment.

Okay… tomorrow… a 7am mammogram.  I return home.   Then, go out with the baby bro.  Here’s to hoping it’s at least above 25 tomorrow when we stalk downtown for animals made from ones and zeros.

–  Have a good night/day.