When I was a child, the highlight of our family’s year was the annual vacation to a lake, often in Wisconsin. The earliest memory is of Winter Lake, a small private lake where we and good friends rented cabins on private property. The cabins must have been rather primitive: I recall “Uncle” Walt bathing in a small rowboat on the beach. Were there no showers or baths in the cabins? That may account for the annual bout of impetigo.
The small rowboats provided were ideal for children to learn to manipulate on the water. I loved taking it out alone. As I got stronger and bigger, I was able to row the full-size boats. But not without occasional difficulty. Without good control, there was a risk of ending up in the tall grassy weeds. I recall at least one time when my dad had to come rescue me. Even if I could extricate myself and clear the oar of debris, the weeds claimed the oar as soon as I repeated the exercise.
I am feeling a little tangled in the weeds now. My intention to work with a personal trainer has hit a snag after a serious inflammation of arthritis in my left knee left me unable to walk. A sympathetic scheduler at CORE Institute arranged an appointment at the last minute. The cortisone shot has helped but any amount of walking aggravates the symptoms.
Aging brings with it many hidden weeds. We plunge in excitedly only to be pulled down by an unexpected root. I guess the trick is to become disentangled one day at a time. The alternative is to stay on the shore: not appealing to me at all.
So tomorrow will find me back at yoga to stretch and relax some of the tension. I do hope I don’t find another ailing body part very soon.
