In my quest for life-long learning this week, I’ve decided, through trial and error, that I’m not getting any younger. I know this because of an injured hip.
I’ve always been active. I love the feeling after exercise; it’s like I’m clean on the inside. Blood is racing through my body. Exercise is the best medicine, I often quote, but how much is too much? When young, I was a swimmer and taught swimming at the Y, managed Champlin Pool here in town and taught water exercise. I taught classes all over town and even at home pools. In the evenings after supper in good weather, the kids and I would walk, or I would jog in an effort to keep my weight down. I still walk my dog in good weather and exercise at the Y. I’ve had two (eekkk!) back surgeries, but still I work out. I know better than to sit down in a rocking chair now that I’ve retired.
Then I hurt my hip back in the fall just by squatting (not leaning over) and picking up a small thing off the floor. My hip has been yelling at me ever since. Some nights after coming in from my core strength class at the Y, I had shooting pains all the way to my ankle and knew it was a nerve being pinched. I finally got tired of the pain and went to the doctor. An x-ray was performed. No, it is not broken, cracked, or anything serious (unless you count the excruciating pain). He said I had calcium deposits from an old injury and to take this medicine, massage the area and pretend it didn’t hurt. Sigh. I didn’t hope for something serious, but somehow this didn’t seem like anything worth going to the doctor over. But the anti-inflammatory I’m now taking orally seems to be helping. I massage the area that hurts. I think it is getting better.
I think next week instead of core strength, I’ll just use the treadmill and weights at the Y and give the hip time to rest. The moves in the class are making it worse and it needs time to heal. But still I will move. Not moving is the worst thing I could do.
So, what have you learned this week? Do you listen to your body and try to help it? Tell me what you think.
I’ve been serious about writing for over 10 years and I find writing to be a life-long learning proposition. In 2013 I published my first book and now I am about to release, with a little help from my publisher The Wild Rose Press, my sixth book. It is a little different from the others. This story is a legal drama and coming of age story about bullying and rape. It is a story as old as mankind and I tried to show it from all angles. The protagonist is young, but not naïve, and the antagonist is damaged with problems of his own.
We’ve talked this year about clearing my life of physical, mental and spiritual things. It seems most of my clearing was of the physical type. I’ve scrubbed white woodwork, cleaned out cabinets, and found a light-weight Christmas tree that can be stored in a closet instead of the attic. I’ve made a lot of progress. I still need to clean the woodwork in the back bathroom. I try to not look at it as I do my hair and make up in the morning, but it’s still there. Maybe next week. 
Each week I write a blog to let you know what I’ve been up to. I have to admit sometimes it is not easy. I’m not that exciting. 
As a writer, sometimes I get so tired and overwhelmed with my own ideas, I want to quit. I need a vacation. I have a bad case of wander-lust most of the time. Maybe it is the season and the stress that goes with it. I don’t really have that much stress these days since I retired. I can do what I want. And then the red leather recliner where I write calls my name. You have work to do, it says.
It’s Christmas and there are a million things to do. I think back about how I used to make Christmas happen with kids at home, a job during the day, limited funds, Christmas cookies baking, and still I managed to make it happen. I hope with some grace. Maybe not always. It should be easier now.
It’s been a long week. Things come in threes and we’ve had three so far this week. 
This weekend was Small Business Saturday – just in time for Christmas shopping. Buying local from small businesses helps the consumer find quality goods and services and provides a living for the small business entities.
My greatest wish is to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am. 
My blog is late this week because we spent the weekend with family in Texas. We shopped, sampled a little wine, and visited. When family turns to friends, you know you’ve got a good relationship. My husband’s cousin and his wife looked us up after more than 30 years and it has been more fun than we could have ever imagined. 
We even got to visit with their son and grand dog. 
The second day we traveled to downtown Dallas and the Kennedy Museum at Dealey Plaza. It didn’t hurt that the cousins knew the roads in the Metro Plex and we traveled them in style. 
Thanks, Texas, for a great weekend.
