If only people were like clocks

I remember one day when my husband and I were hauling our kayaks up the slight incline from the beach to our cabin. Dan said, “How long will we be able to do this?” We were slowly plodding up the hill and I said that it didn't matter if we were walking slower, it mattered that we could still do it.

I have always said aging doesn't bother me, it's pain that causes me to feel old, to feel debilitated and unable to do things. And, that is where I find myself now.

I threw my back out, which was nothing new. I've done that many times and have recovered. This time, it was different. My back started to spasm to the point where all my activities came to a halt. An X-ray revealed that I had a compression fracture in my vertebra. The healing process would take anywhere between six months to a year. Well, it could be worse I said to myself.

It is one thing to say you did something when you were younger and would have no desire to do it now. It is another thing to say you wish you could continue to do something and now you can't.

All my life, I've been in motion. When I was younger, it was hiking and backpacking. Fishing was high on the list of things I loved to do as well. I could jump over rocks and almost speed walk around the lake. Now, I must use walking sticks and be mindful of how I step over rocky surfaces so that I don't fall. But, I can still do it even though it takes longer.

After hiking the lake last summer, my husband said,

“This is a difficult hike.” I'd not thought it ever to be difficult because I've hiked around the lake many times over the years, and more than once during a summer. But, now, I guess I'd have to say, it has become a difficult hike. I can still do it though.

There are earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, but they all end at some point. Such is the way the body works. I've had an earthquake and am suffering aftershocks that I hope will gradually dissipate back to normalcy again. In the meantime, I have to adjust my lifestyle to the changes the earthquake made after it erupted and ended.

There are setbacks and finalities to life. It is one thing to say you did something when you were younger and would have no desire to do it now. It is another thing to say you wish you could continue to do something and now you can't. That's when