Like this one: \u00a0Motion is the lotion. <\/em>That\u2019s the new headline in my life. \u00a0I\u2019ve always enjoyed doing hand and finger exercises\u2026well, when I feel like it. \u00a0 But once-in-a-while<\/em> doesn\u2019t cut it anymore. \u00a0This is getting serious and I want to keep playing the ukulele, tap-tap-tapping on my computer keyboard and\u2026and\u2026and\u2026for as long as I can.<\/p>\n Which brings me to the topic for today, what magician Johnny Ace Palmer<\/a> calls The Finger Peel.<\/p>\n Here we are, performing at a recent variety<\/strong> show. Johnny has just wowed the audience with his very impressive magic tricks and I have the dubious honor of following him <\/em>with ukulele singalongs and kazoo tooting. \u00a0So now we are both decompressing in a cluttered side room off the stage as the final singer begins his set and we talk\u2026about\u2026what else\u2026finger dexterity. That\u2019s when Johnny shows me this finger exercise and gives me permission to video him in action.<\/p>\n I am witnessing real magic here. \u00a0It\u2019s like each finger has its own operating system with belts and pulleys, and get this, can work in concert with other fingers AND independently too. Believe me, I am not interested in yanking a rabbit out of a hat, but his mastery is mind-boggling. \u00a0It takes time (like years\u2026decades) to develop and maintain that level of dexterity.<\/p>\n So of course I try to do this finger peel too\u2026with comical results. \u00a0My fingers turn into slender cylinders of cement and I notice immediately how much tension I carry in my hands. \u00a0\u201cTake a deep breath, Cali. Imagine these fingers are made of rolled up Kleenex, instead of squishy tendons, bones and goop. Come on, try again.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Learning to play a musical instrument works our brains, tugs at our hearts and pushes our bodies\u2026sometimes out of their comfort zone. We are learning a whole new vocabulary of physical movements. And dexterity happens. Just do \u201cit\u201d again. Whatever \u201cit\u201d is. Hundreds and hundreds of times and fi<\/em>nger exercises are a musical part of that \u201ccircle of life.\u201d<\/p>\n So I take Johnny\u2019s speed-of-light finger peel, slow it WAY down and just for fun, throw in some variations. The peel reminds me that the fingers on my left hand don\u2019t work the same way as the ones on my right. So get over it. The peel shows me tension happens but there is a way to work with it. The peel teaches me what \u201ceffortless effort\u201d feels like \u2013 for a few seconds at least.<\/p>\n Now don\u2019t laugh, but it also feels like my fingers are sending me little thank you notes. An \u201caah\u201d<\/em> here, another \u201cooo\u201d<\/em> there, as if they are saying \u201cwell finally<\/em> you are giving us some attention\u2026and grace.<\/p>\n I do regular maintenance on my eight-year-old Hyundai Elantra. Oil changes, new filters, brakes, tires. Maybe someday I\u2019ll trade it in for something else\u2026or maybe not. But I only have one body, this<\/em> body. It\u2019s a life-long commitment.<\/p>\n So today let\u2019s create a thing, a moment, that is beautiful. Hand Made. Heart Made<\/strong>. And take care. As violinist Itzhak Perlman reminds us \u201cfind out how much music you can still make with what you have left.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fingerpeel-screenshot-955x1024.png\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Finger-Peel-thumb-nail-1024x574.jpeg\")