Since an impending birthday apparently isn't enough to remind me of my own mortality, my body has helpfully rolled up its sleeves and jumped in.
In spite of walking two miles several days a week, attendance at water aerobics, and weekly games of golf, I've managed to strain the muscles that run alongside my spine.
Actually I did this first last week by simply standing up and having a good stretch. It was three days before I could rise from a chair without a moan and a paralyzed crouch. Today I lifted and emptied the reservoir from the basement's dehumidifier, something I do every day during the summer, and again I'm hobbling around like Father Time.
Just when you least expect it, life offers up these rich learning opportunities.
For instance, I've learned that having the freezer compartment on the bottom of the fridge has its drawbacks when you can't lean over far enough to pull out the cold pack stored there for emergencies such as this.
Also, when your back is out, if anything can fall, it will fall.
The newspaper
The entire basket of clothespins
The %#@ cold pack
No bloodhound is needed to track my progress through the house. Just follow the fallen objects.
Leaving a drawer or cupboard half open all day isn't messy, it's a clever tactical move, since it means you won't have to lean over to close or open it again.
Spending a whole Saturday doing nothing is fabulous when there's a choice. When I know I should really be lying flat resting my back, all I can think about is all the things I'd like to get accomplished.
I'm a housewife in long standing, so of course I've still managed to hang out three loads of wash, wrap a shower gift, make egg salad sandwiches for lunch, and a lemon meringue pie for dinner.
Maybe I'm channeling some pioneer ancestor who nursed baby number nine while feeding the chickens. If I ever break a leg or have all my teeth extracted, I'll probably end up re-siding the house.
Pain is not the great leveler of women.
ReplyDeleteSadly true.
ReplyDeleteAnd why does the body only shout negative messages at us?
Look after yourself (as best you can) while you continue to achieve.
In the end this post asks what the difference is between us modern day sassies and our ancestors. I think they wee in far better shape than us. Many of them didn't live this long.
ReplyDeleteI have the same back trouble, which is why I spend a lot of time on my knees. Drop something? Drop to the knees to pick it up. Freezer at the bottom of the fridge unit? Open the door, then get down on my knees to access the baskets. Sweep the dirt into a pile, then get on my knees to use the dustpan and brush. And so on throughout the day. Fingers crossed my knees and hips stay good for a long time yet.
ReplyDeleteYou have a rich sense of humor when in pain. That should keep everyone around you in sympathy and maybe more helpful. I have been in your situation once when I was MUCH younger and therefore just blamed it on injury rather than age.
ReplyDeletewhatever exercise you are getting, it isn't working your abs (or maybe it's the back muscles that aren't getting any exercise). when your back goes out it's because your front and back aren't equal...one is stronger than the other.
ReplyDelete