My Motorcycle Injuries

  Every once in a while something is said to me that sets my mind in a direction that leaves me a little surprised at my thought process. This afternoon I was at a family birthday function and my daughter got into a conversation with me about tomorrow's church services. She wasn't sure if the building would be cold or hot, so she asked me about the weather forecast in order to dress properly. She was trying to figure out what she would be wearing because she plays the piano and there are a lot of lights that generate heat in the area where she plays. Consequently, it gets hotter up there than the majority of the auditorium. In response I told her that I'm never hot in the church building, even while I'm belting out a sermon. Before the accident I never got cold during any part of the day, but since the accident I'm often cold to the point of serious discomfort. Because of this she asked me if I didn't feel hot during the church services "even before the acc...

  Today I went to the church property for a while in order to get a few things done. As I was trimming a couple of trees that were begining to grow into the dumpster area, I realized that several of the branches were too high for me to reach. I then pushed the dumpster closer to them and used it to climb up on a wall that encloses the space. As I stood on the wall trimming a few brances I briefly considered the fact that I had just climbed onto a dumpster and then jumped onto a wall. I finished the work and climbed down without killing myself, so yay.  In contrast, I'm home now and ten minutes ago I limped when I first stood up because I had been sitting too long. I also had a hard time using my hand because I held my cellphone in one position too long while looking at some photos. I mean, really? I sometimes have a hard time believing the things that I go through. I'm Joe Athlete one minute, and Myron Invalid the next. None of it makes sense to me. I feel like an enigma wrapp...

  Nothing ever seems to settle with my various motorcycle accident injuries. There were a few years in which I seemed to have hit a plateau with the problems related to my body injuries, but those days are long gone. These days my body can't seem to decide what it is that hurts the most or hinders my life in the greatest way. My arm has issues with pain and inabilities from the forearm to the fingertips, but most of the pain and trouble is focused on my hand. Well, for now anyway. My leg has developed a problem with the front of my ankle (I looked it up, and it's called the anterior tibial tendon). The foot on that leg has always been a bit swollen since the accident, which is most noticable to me when I wear shoes, but the pain never existed in the past. Now, the front of my ankle often hurts more than the rest of my leg and it's getting to be a considerable issue when I walk. My tibia was damaged badly in the accident, so it makes sense. The rest of my leg experiences flu...

  A few nights ago I was getting things ready for our Wednesday evening service at church. I always arrive before anyone else with my wife and daughter in order to get things fully prepared for the service. My knee started to bend backward as I was walking at the front of the main auditorium and I came to an abrupt and painful halt. I steadied myself on a communion table and sat for a minute. This has happened to me before over the years, but not to the extent of that evening's near collapse. The stranger thing was that it happened two more times within the next half hour. It's never done that before. The sensation almost feels as though there's nothing holding my leg together at the center and it will fall apart in two seperate sections. The pain goes away soon enough, but the uncertainty that comes with every step taken after this happens lingers for a while. The stranger thing is that I've done a lot of work involving my legs since then. I've been walking, kneeli...

So yeah, today marks ten years since my motorcycle accident. I've gone from the start of my 50's to the start of my 60's since then. I've gone from never really thinking about my body to focusing on my physical health daily. A lot of changes have occured in my life, and I could regale you with all kinds of stories, facts, and trivia concerning my existence this past decade. Instead, however, I'll tell you that the accident happened ten years ago some time around eleven this morning, and it doesn't really matter to me. I almost didn't bother to post this entry on my blog because it's been a busy day. I'm living my life and enjoying God's grace daily, while also enduring a bunch of hassles because of the aftermath of the injuries caused ten years ago. And...it's all OK. Good or bad, easy or hard, it's all a part of the dance. I'm thankful for each day, and I figure that I'll go to bed tonight thankful and satisfied with the life tha...

The holidays are coming soon, and on my wife's side of the family this means that everyone will be busy with countless details in order to get things like food, homes, and event details ready. It's all a little excessive, but why be all Scroogy about it on this blog when they get enough of it from me in person. Anyhoo, the whole planning thing caused me to think a little about the things that have been going on for me these past couple of months. I'm taking a trip overseas in early January (Turkey, Israel, and Jordon... don't ask). I've been exercising like it matters because the trip that I'm taking will require a lot of daily walking and I also have an A1C test coming up in late December. Also, I've been super careful about my eating in order to keep my blood glucose level in good shape. I often feel tired in an almost groggy way by midday, but I really need to be prepared for everything that I'll be going through within the next couple of months. Thes...

Time marches on. I had slacked off a little over the past several months concerning my exercise routine, but I’ve been back on track with all of it over the last month and a half. I started slowly, but I’ve been methodical about how I advance with it all because I’m no longer just a guy with a bunch of old motorcycle accident wounds. Yeah, I’m also a guy who turned sixty this summer. I feel that physically I’m pretty much fit and capable, but I find myself sometimes describing my abilities now with the term “for a guy my age”. Next up is me finding the need to use the term “in my day”. Uh-huh, there better not be any neighborhood kids wanting to mess around on my front lawn or I’ll go all Clint Eastwood on them. I still walk roughly five miles a day while also doing upper body work with weights, pushups, stretching, and some boxing equipment. None of it is very complex, but I try to keep things going for myself in a way that keeps the aftereffects of my injuries under control. It will ...