“Easy-Peasy”

I feel like I am in some cosmic prolonged game of “Hokey Pokey.” You know,  the “you put your right foot in and you shake it all about” routine we used to play as kids. Only now it is one body part at a time affected for several weeks—-and you have to be careful not to shake it all about. First it was my left knee, then my right knee, then my right foot, then my lower back, and now it is my left shoulder (rotator cuff). At least they are taking turns. I am learning a new vocabulary. I’ve found out  osteoarthritis is another way of saying “degeneration.” Or, to phrase it another way,  it is as if each joint is wearing out with age. I never saw this coming.

Then, of course, I am of the generation that never trusted anyone over thirty and yet seemed to feel we were immortal. It is quite a shock to realize age catches up  with even us. I have become dependent on ice packs (or frozen peas) and analgesics.

Participating in the most basic, gentle exercise event offered by the center where I go to “exercise” should be a piece of cake.  But both times I have participated in the aquatic arthritic group my body has rebelled with some new point of inflammation and pain. The elder “regulars” are in better shape than I am…..they smile and return to class after class. They’re not having to resort to “walking only” while in the pool.

Okay, now that I’ve ventilated, I’ll get off my “pity pot”—–and move, instead, in the direction of wisdom, and by that I mean moving towards gratitude. I have a body. All parts are working. I can afford to go to an exercise/swimming center. I have friends, volunteer involvement to keep me busy, four white challenging dogs, a roof over my head, a wonderful church family, supportive 12 step groups, and food in the refrigerator. At the push of a button I can view almost anything on my television(s), listen to music from all around the world or travel anywhere with Google and the Internet. My I-phone can tell me how to get to almost anywhere. For these things I am grateful. Although I must admit using a compass and a map works better for me than using my I-phone to find my way.

I know, too, how with all I have to be grateful for it would be easy to self-isolate and get stuck on any pity pot I wanted to obsess about. Thankfully, I have a choice. I can, instead, stay involved in my support systems, rely more on human encounters than those found in cyber space, and enjoy the love I share with four dogs.

Those of you who have been followers of my blog may notice this is a familiar theme/recurring pattern of mine. By that, I mean owning resentment and choosing to release it and immerse myself in positive things and gratitude is something I have written about before, and I’ll probably need to write about it again in the future.

I will close by saying that Christ did not complain about the suffering he experienced during his lifetime, and if I truly want to walk in his footsteps, I need to learn to complain less and love more. May God bless and keep you.