Yesterday, I paid a much needed visit to the orthopedic doctor to get my knees checked. No, it's not because I am getting older (turning thirty does feel fantastic by the way). Thanks to all that hiking and running I did in my twenties, I have a nice bod but weak knees to go with it. I  feel awful that I can't even go on a real run with my dog without being in pain. It truly is sad because I love, I mean looove running in the rain with her!

Anyway, back to the doctor's office-  dressed in my pretty wavy skirt and knit top, I figured I was dressed appropriately- no need to lift up awfully long pants to my thighs for the exam. Little did I know I had to lift my damn knees for one of the x-rays! Ah ha. Had I not gotten so dark from all that summer sun, the specialist would have seen my embarrassed red face as I tried my hardest not to flash him. Then comes in the doctor. The true professional that he was, he didn't even bat an eye. He did the exam, suggested a bit of physical therapy to ease my pain and said I'd be back to running in no time. Phew.

But where do chopped noses fit in? To get my mind off of what transpired in the x-ray room, I picked up the latest issue of TIME sitting next to me. I was affronted by the beautiful face of a young Afghan woman with a crater of flesh and bone where her nose had been. It wasn't a birth defect. Nineteen year old Bibi Aisha's own husband chopped off her nose and ears and left her to die on top of a mountain, as ordered by the Taliban. Her crime? Having run away from her abusive in-laws. Many more women in Taliban dominated regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan face similar and even harsher punishments for simple "crimes" such as showing ankles in public. There seems to be no end to these atrocities.

Deeply moved by Aisha's story, I followed up and found that she would be getting reconstructive surgery at the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills. Then I wondered about all the others who aren't so lucky (if that is even the right word given what Aisha had been through?) A non-profit based in Fresh Meadows called Women for Afghan Women has been fighting arduously for the rights of these women. I made a mental note to send in a donation.

Outside, the clouds were coming in. I could smell the rain. I put on my running clothes and called out to my dog. The pain felt good.