Spring is upon us…we all hope. In any case, the yard is calling for attention. So I decided to try and give it just a bit…not too much, mind you. “Don’t get excited…keep your blood pressure down…” So out I went. I pushed the lawnmower around the perimeter of the yard to pick up leaves, and found myself breathing hard. So I stopped.
I have developed a plan to replace the plastic under the gravel in our beds with black fabric cloth, so in preparation for that task, (to be done later in the summer with my grandson’s help), I decided to prune the juniper bushes…Fail!
I managed one, and a part of a second. Squatting, pulling, snipping…I was exhausted in ten minutes…and breathing hard…blood pressure again. I stopped and reassessed my body. I couldn’t believe how tired I was, and how anxious about the exertion. Being out of the pool and away from brisk walks since January 15 (it is now May 8), I realized that as well as having a brain problem, I am seriously out of shape, and getting back in shape will be a slow process, not to be undertaken as if I were an Olympic athlete.
So, I’m encountering another step along the recovery path: pace, careful assessment, seeking assistance, recognizing that the way I was, is not the way I am, nor the way I will be. All of this likely seems obvious to any of you reading these lines, but I am a slow learner. Or perhaps, like most folks recovering from an injury that doesn’t look bad from the outside, I am in denial…again.
In any case, I have broached the subject with my lovely 14-year-old grandson, who seems quite enthused by the offer: “I have muscles of steel, Grampa!” Who wouldn’t love that response? I was very careful to make sure that I told him that I needed him, and that I would compensate him. The first assertion is for my sake: I do need him, or someone. The second assertion is for his sake: he is immensely valuable to me, and I won’t take that for granted.
Next is the conversation with his parents about arrangements, and then, I’m off to buy fabric, etc. Another step…
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