Saturday, July 30, 2011

Little Things

You may recall I tried running last May. I was gung-ho which, it turns out, is an anglicized pronunciation of a pair of Chinese words that mean "work together-work in harmony."

My body thought the opposite. (Ho gung?) My body thought "I am not working together in harmony with you on this project. Take THAT!"

I thought, "ouch!" and walked the rest of the way home. It never crossed my mind that I had caused myself injury, and THAT would not go away.

THAT, however, persists, so I saw a doctor and had some tests done. I now await the results and hope for the best, reflecting on how minor THAT is, really, and how with a little help I'll be back doing the little things--the laundry, the taking out of trash, the errands--which right now my body won't do.

Then there are the bigger things, the things I really miss. The walking. The hiking. The getting down on the floor to play with my dog. The writing at my desk.

THAT is a temporary reminder that I am no longer young enough to do just...whatever. My body is no longer eager to work together-work in harmony regardless of what I ask it to do. It's easier to hurt myself now. Recovery takes longer.

Everyone else comes to this pass. I never imagined I would, too.

We think we're infallible sometimes. We do.

20 comments:

Dina said...

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear you are hurting, Petrea. Be well.
And yes, it's a big shock when we first realize this pain can happen to US.

dive said...

Love the clothespegs, Petrea. They remind me of swallows sitting on a telephone wire. And that wall has a lovely texture to it, though if it were mine I'd be up there scrubbing it down and repainting it right now.

So sorry to hear of your injury. Getting older is awful; it comes as a real shock to discover we no longer bounce right back up when we fall (or at least it did to me; my mind bounced back up but my body just lay there in pain, moaning and uttering some choice profanities). I hope your injury fades away soon.

Anonymous said...

Hip replacement? Meniscus knee surgery?
I can recommend them both....
(Get well soon, though.)

Anonymous said...

Oh shit, that's just awful. I'm so sorry.

(Great photo.)

Petrea Burchard said...

Well, yeah, it's a bummer. Probably a joint lining tear--not as bad as a hip replacement or knee surgery. Although I may have to have minor surgery I remind myself it could have been worse. And I have health insurance.

What do people do when they don't have health insurance? Do they just suffer the pain? It's unbelievable that we don't have socialized medicine.

The photo, taken at twilight in Altadena, looks like a European village to me.

Desiree said...

Yikes! Sorry to hear about the injury.
Hmmm, those clothespins and and ridiculous glass block window look oddly familiar.

Latino Heritage said...

Sorry you feel poorly. Very glad there may be some sort of relief likely.
Good question. I've seen them suffer the pain, seek alternatives means and methods, and withdraw from interaction.
A lack of at least some degree of cultural honoring of our elders makes it even more challenging.
To put it more poetically, getting older can really have some sucky moments.

Petrea Burchard said...

I love glass blocks, Des, but I especially love the clothespins.

LH/Roberta, I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I have John to help me and I have health insurance, and it's till sucky sometimes! If I keep in mind the people who don't have those things, it gives me perspective. But it also makes me imagine what misery life can be, especially for older people, poor and on their own.

Pasadena Adjacent said...

There's a free Tai Chi gathering every Saturday morning at the Eagle Rock park near the top of Figuroa. He puts lanterns in the trees. Mr Harmony.

once you've repaired some

Petrea Burchard said...

PA, that sounds wonderful. Do you go?

Ms M said...

I'm sorry to hear you hurt yourself! It IS frustrating how long these "little" things take to heal when we get older... :0

Love your photo. It would make a cool card or book cover.

Petrea Burchard said...

Thank you, Ms. M. Maybe I'll upload it to RedBubble. I need to get on that and put up a few more things. Seems like a nice site so far.

Katie said...

Yep, that sucks. Be good to yourself and give it time to heal, although I know if must be really frustrating not to be able to do all the thing you want to do. Thankfully your injury hasn't affected your ability to take great photos.

Dina said...

I've never heard of a joint lining tear. But it sounds painful. Hope the doc gave you some serious pills.

Petrea Burchard said...

ooh, Katie, I admit I took this one before the pain set in.

Dina, he gave me serious pills. A little too serious! I have to be careful with those things.

Susan Campisi said...

Yikes. Ouch. That sounds just terrible. I hope you're on the path to recovery.

Trish said...

I've never heard of a joint having pain---isn't that what joints are FOR, to avoid pain?

oh, wrong kinda joint! ;-)

so sorry to hear of your pain! I know only too well what it is like to try something like this and find out too quickly my body had other plans.

people without insurance, or without as good a plan, either just suffer, or alternatively medicate (see also the first part of my comment) or eventually get help, but spend the rest of their lives paying for it.

Petrea Burchard said...

Har! "My body had other plans." A little too true.

Gunn said...

You have eyes for details.
I like it!:)

Petrea Burchard said...

Thanks, Gunn. Nice to see you!