On my recent trip to Costa Rica, my body behaved so well I want to give it a treat.  It slept well and went to sleep just when it was supposed to.  No jerky restless legs.  A bit of that on the airplane in seats designed for 10-year-olds. Perfect bowels.  My body woke up early and was well rested.

 Hunger did not attack me out of the blue and make me grumpy. Even my poor ears behaved very well.

 These are things I have no control over and can’t predict. That is why I am so grateful.

But what would be a good reward for a “body”? My first thought was an upscale candy bar.

But that is not right.  Bodies probably shouldn’t have chocolate.  Maybe nothing sweet.  Alas!

What is good for a body?  Water?  That is really boring. Well now, steak might be the answer.

Bodies like protein, don’t they?  Oh, but red meat does something bad somewhere. So scratch that.

While we are at it, my knees showed off and handled inclines and a mountain trek without a peep. I know how to reward knees.  Just put them up and rest.  They don’t care whether you read or watch Television, but they do want you to have everything before you sit.  Drink, snack, glasses, napkin, phone.  No getting up and down.

My nose, I guess I should say “upper respiratory” did beautifully. No stuffiness, dripping, postnasal drip, or sore throat.  I don’t remember even sneezing.  Other air flights have caused problems. My body parts may have been responding to my threat not to cause any problems while traveling with younger companions. My fear was that I wouldn’t be able to keep up and be a drag.

I feared I would show my age and fall to some dread disease or just fall and be a problem. 

But most likely my body parts were reacting to the excellent weather, the low humidity and mainly the mountain air.  I checked it out. Mountain air is thinner, with less oxygen, which, once adjusted to, is more efficient to breathe.  It makes more red blood cells, which our lungs send into our bloodstream and then into our muscles. The more red blood cells, the better the body functions.

Back to a way to treat my body and its parts.  Nose just likes a little whiff of my Jessica McClintock perfume. Knees like to rest, but sometimes they really like to dance to a good song.  I have figured it out.  I will either have to take my body back to the mountains of Costa Rica or give it a good massage.  Massage it will be.  Can anybody recommend one?  When all done, a steak for myself!

Jeanette Smith, 95, a Blythewood resident, has been active in the community’s civic affairs for over 50 years.