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  "description": "by Nancy Jorgensen  |  What the body wants.",
  "path": "/non-negotiable/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-03T11:34:34.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.short-reads.org",
  "tags": [
    "@Nancjoe",
    "NancyJorgensen.weebly.com",
    "supporting subscriber",
    "donation",
    "Facebook",
    "LinkedIn",
    "Bluesky",
    "Hattie Fletcher",
    "Anna Hall",
    "Stephen Knezovich",
    "“Artifact”",
    "“Banana-Strawberry Smoothie”",
    "“Glazed Ham, April 1996”",
    "Explore the entire Short Reads archive."
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  "textContent": "Read carefully. Act FAST or lose EVERYTHING.\n\nWe have INFORMATION you need. If you want to see the next TEN YEARS, follow directions. This is not a joke. Begin IMMEDIATELY.\n\nWalk thirty minutes three times a week. WE WILL KNOW IF YOU DON’T. MUSCLES are not optional. Lift weights even if you don’t feel like it. You IGNORED us before. Now your HIPS hurt. The fatigue is a MESSAGE.\n\nTHREE meals, no excuses. Protein, protein, protein. Fruits. Vegetables. NO CHEETOS. If you disobey, there will be stomach ACID.\n\nIn bed by TEN, no SCREENS after nine, or we keep you AWAKE.\n\nRead books you LOVE and quit BORING ones. Say YES to adventures. Say NO to people who stress you. Ten minutes of meditation. Daily.\n\nYou may work alone or in a group. _Too busy_ is not a valid excuse. We will know if you say _tomorrow_. That’s when we ratchet up the knee PAIN. We will keep you from picking up your grandson. Stairs will be IMPOSSIBLE.\n\nDelay and you won’t open a jar. You won’t GET UP off the floor. You will be TIRED.\n\nYour deadline is NOT negotiable. We warned you before, and now we NEED your attention.\n\nPLEASE.\n\nWe WANT you to carry your grandson. We WANT you to play piano. We WANT you to walk in the park.\n\nBegin NOW.\n\nYours truly,\nHeart, Lungs, Muscles, and Mind\n\n* * *\n\n**Nancy Jorgensen** is a Wisconsin writer, educator, musician, and regular blood donor. She is the mother of a high school English teacher and the 2016 Olympic gold medalist in women’s triathlon. Her essays appear in HuffPost, Business Insider, _The Offing_ , _River Teeth_ , Wisconsin Public Radio, and elsewhere. Her most recent book is a middle-grade sports biography, _Gwen Jorgensen: USA’s First Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete_ (Meyer & Meyer Sport). Find her @Nancjoe on Instagram and at NancyJorgensen.weebly.com.\n\nThis essay is a _Short Reads_ original.\n\n* * *\n\n****Help keep**** _****Short Reads****_****going.****\nBecome a supporting subscriber or make a one-time donation.\n\nShare this essay on: Facebook | LinkedIn | Bluesky\n\nThis issue of __Short Reads__ was 🚶‍♀️💪 edited by Hattie Fletcher; 🥩🍗 fact-checked and proofread by Chad Vogler; 📖📚 designed by Anna Hall; and 🛌 😴 delivered to our 2,773 subscribers by Stephen Knezovich.\n\n### **From the archive**\n\n\nJun 4, 2025\n“Artifact”\nby Darien Hsu Gee | Faults and fractures.\n\nJun 5, 2024\n“Banana-Strawberry Smoothie”\nby Emily Chao | A first responder’s first loss.\n\nJun 7, 2023\n“Glazed Ham, April 1996”\nby Todd Kliman | A gleaming source of guilt.\n\nExplore the entire Short Reads archive.\n\n* * *",
  "title": "Non-negotiable",
  "updatedAt": "2026-06-03T11:34:34.950Z"
}