Posted by lynn allin on June 27, 2007 at 23:22:21:
I love to come here and read through posts. The taunts and bravado.
How we stimulate, encourage, hearten, spur and foster each other, even if it involves name calling, eye-rolling and more than a dash of swagger.
I started physical therapy today for a tear in my achilles and some tendonitis issues. I will not be running for a long time and this makes me want to puke. I am sick of having glass feet. I am tired of my running mirroring my pathetic life. I am tired of taking one step forward and two steps backwards...whine whine whine.
So, I tell you this because I am in PT today and all these hobbling people come in with new knees and hips, arthritis, other "itis" and a variety of infirmities. They have to use a step to get on the table. They can't bend their leg enough to put their own shoes on, or lift their arms to pull on a shirt. They have canes, walkers, splints and braces, and, no, they don't all have white and blue hair.
"Did I hear you say you're a runner?" the man next to me asks.
Yup. (answer shortened in the interest of brevity and plot development)
"So do you run those marathons?"
Yup.
"My son did the Azalea Trail one year", and yes, I correct him that the famous local race is not a marathon, as is everything less than 26.2 miles.
"What's the longest you've ever run at once?"
50 miles.
"No, I mean all at once."
50 miles.
...and I realize I live in a different world than these people.
I can hop onto the table. I can brush my own hair. I can bend my knee to less than 100 degrees. I might be injured, but my version of injured is a world away from theirs.
I can still bike. I can swim. I can do just about anything else I want.
I really have nothing to whine about.
So I tied my own shoes and went home much happier, and healthier, in just one appointment.
Lynn "June 22 2008" Allin