A pair of steel chi-gong balls can always be found on my dining table in Motovun. I pick them up from time to time, but not often enough. As of late, the main reason for twirling them is a growing problem with arthritis in my fingers. Inherited from my mother, whose fingers got quite disfigured as she got longer in the tooth, this is a condition that worries me ever more. The small finger on my left hand is already crooked, but I am doing my best to prevent the condition from spreading. Thus I just brought a pair of jade chi-gong balls to Zagreb. In China, they are believed to be the best because the semi-precious stone is supposed to both conduct and purify energy. This is where I got them, too (“Chi-Gong Balls,” December 10, 1996). The steel ones are too heavy to cart around, anyhow. Every now and then, I pick them up and twirl them first with one hand and then with the other. The traditional Chinese medicine notwithstanding, my fingers are regularly exercised without any physical stress. In addition, the jade balls are a pleasure to see and feel. The sound of them gliding past each other is a pleasure, as well. Jade chi-gong balls, anyone?