The longest day of the year, a strawberry moon and a bright light awoke him before the young redhead’s kiss. The old dog flipped over. With a thump. He liked to sleep upside down, four legs aloft, ceiling fan blowing light breezes over his tummy. He snored. Life is good.
With his right elbow, the old man boosted himself to a sitting position and stared into a full length mirror. Yeah, that was him. His father – when he was an even older man – had taught him to arise in that manner. You move too fast, you might get woozy. You get woozy, you might fall. You fall, you might hurt something. Not a good way to start your day.
He still hurt a little from the bike crash. Gardening turned out to be dangerous, too. Those flowers he bought last week remained unplanted, now taller in the pot and growing more root-bound. Maybe today he would see if he could bend. Try to use his left hand more often. Break the bark dust into smaller, more manageable bundles. Do a little , take a break. Pace yourself. Adapt.
The old man had rested. It’s what you do when there is no other choice. You rest when you can’t go any further.
Weeks had gone by. He hadn’t missed a workout. Then one morning he couldn’t stand up straight. Not good, not normal. Nature’s way of telling you it’s time to take a break. So he rested. He didn’t quit. He rested.
He rested because he hurt too much to eat. Lost half of The Last Ten Pounds. Skipped a workout one day. Skipped another day. And then a third. Hot tub. Vibrating heating pad. Hot tub. More heating pad. Dawned on the old man he had nothing better to do than get mobile again.
Because his mind was right. His mind was right.
The old man had decided the pain was his secret superpower. The dull throbbing stabbing aching his companion who only wanted to make him stronger. Delusional, sure. But what most folks didn’t seem to understand, almost nobody got this. If you are going to fill your head with a bunch of nonsense, might as well fill it with some crap that’s gonna do you some good.
Becoming an old dog turns out to be the best. Life hurts, but it’s good.