As is normal for me, after doing so much walking while Christmas shopping, my feet and ankles became sore, so I decided to take Mark Slade up on his offer of a massage. He showed up last Thursday morning, and when I opened the front door, I was immediately taken by surprise: he had on brown dress slacks, a tan button-up shirt and a dark brown tie. His massage table was in his left hand.

"Isn't that taking professionalism too far?" I laughed. "Are you always so dressy when you massage clients?"

He grinned and said, "Oh, no. I usually wear jeans and a t-shirt, but today all my laundry is dirty." LOL

He set up the table while my iPod played a selection of soft jazzy tunes by the Jackie Gleason orchestra. Mark told me to let him know if the pressure was too much, and i did...within a minute. LOL. Directors have soft spots all over our bodies. The massage felt really good, especially when he rubbed my feet and ankles. I had to remind him to lighten the pressure a few times, as his thumbs would dig deep into my fleshy parts. I asked him if he'd had training, and he said he had been trained in shiatsu, which makes sense. Those deep-tissue thumbs!

Afterwards, my feet felt a lot better. Thanks, Mark!

JBK