Continuing what’s becoming a theme…
One Day
Without noticing suddenly
you cannot easily pull your
sweatshirt over your head.
Each morning you perform athletic
routines getting into your pants.
Rising from chairs, your muscles
will cry out. Sleeping will bring
rest but also body-wide tightness
driving you prematurely from bed.
Every step you take becomes fraught:
you'll concentrate on each one (if
you know what's good for you),
relearning how to walk. Climbing
steps will be similar as you
wonder alternately how you
could confuse distances which
rise regularly before you, and
how you ever did it when younger.
"Lift with your legs" no longer
something preached by your
health-and-safety officer, but
your new mantra for avoiding
three days' bedrest. Concentrating,...
...you become a true zen master,
without trying—as the sutras say.
78/100
100 poems in 100 days
I’ve only just noticed how much more I need to stretch, to move, to pay attention. I used to be so thoughtless about my body, spontaneously running a 5k with zero training, or doing a super long hike without any thought. Now…those days feel almost unreal, like was it ever really that easy? Like my grandpa used to say “aging isn’t for the weak.”
Indeed. I’ve been anecdotally comparing notes with friends. If you’re like us, there was this huge drop off in the early to mid-40s. The next one is in the mid-60s although it seems a little more variable ranting from late 50s into late 60s. I’d say prepare yourself, but what can one do? Eat healthy and exercise? Nah….
I’m almost 50 and this is my first drop off…guess I’m late to the party. I did have a baby (for my sister) seven years ago, so I think I may have delayed things for a bit by tricking my body into thinking I was younger. Now, it feels like one thing after another. The hip injury happened during labor, but since then it’s been more like a slow decent, until recently, it feels more like I’ve hit the ground. Trying to get back up and try again.