There's a saying "It not about how old you are, it's about how old you feel."
Well, a lot of days I feel about 35. Which isn't too bad. I still had a figure then (albeit a full one) and I could walk the mall for hours. Some days, like today, I feel about 80. Which would be okay, if I had someone to take care of me.
Whether I feel 35 or 80, I still have things that have to be done on any given day. (Although some people think I don't "work" they should try my shoes for about a week and see how much I don't "work"!) My point is that I need to physically move about. Walk, climb stairs, etc.
The problem with today is that yesterday I swept and bagged leaves from the driveway. Then I proceeded to put out some Christmas decorations in the front yard. This includes the always enjoyable task of finding and retrieving the outdoor extension cords. You'd have to see our garage to understand the difference between finding and retrieving. I've been throwing things out since my dad passed away--which was six years ago--and I still can't walk from the front to the back without tripping, bumping or knocking something over!
I put up a windsock. I put out the lighted penguin (which comes in two pieces--body and head--but the head wouldn't stay on until I found some twist ties). The main focal point is the two lighted deer. A Standing Buck and a Lying Doe. Sounds nice, doesn't it? My sister gave me these when she moved to a universe far, far away, where she doesn't have any yard in which to put them. Okay, so they were used once, last year. So they're in good condition with all their parts. Should be easy, huh?
Now, I'm not bragging here, but I have an IQ of 136. Which means nothing when you are trying to assemble deer which are in pieces, but still connected by wires that have lights on them! I did get them assembled. And, mostly, I did it correctly. It took me over an hour to assemble them. Then I moved them three times, because we have stupid trees in our front yard that were planted 50 years ago by my father who knew nothing about landscaping and planning for the future!
This was done after having cleaned the driveway and finding the cords, etc. I've done this kind of work outside, before, with minor physical consequences. This time, though, I'd forgotten that I had spent November being a total slug because I didn't want to hurt my hand that was recovering from surgery. Oh, I was very good about using the treadmill during that month, but it is not the same as bending, stooping, squatting, lifting, pushing and pulling. And sweeping.
Today, I woke up in pain such as I had never experienced! The aching back and sore calf muscles were not unusual. In my right hip and thigh joint, however, it was excruciating. And my hands! There are muscles in the hand and they can hurt like blazes. I figured I'd just work out the aches as I went through my day. Forget that. If I sat down for more than two minutes, my right leg would not want to hold me. So I spent the day hobbling around.
The worst of the pain is gone now. I have a steady, burning sensation in that hip/thigh joint. My back complains a little when I change positions, but it's manageable.
So when anyone tells me that how you feel is "all in your mindset" I can tell them to do something anatomically impossible.
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