It’s a Puddle – Step Over and Move On

Good morning!  I hope your day is starting off well.  For those of us in the northern hemisphere, spring is almost here!

It’s been a while since my last post.  I know, that happens now and then (more now than then, it seems).  I’ve had lower back pain for several years and, the end of January, it paid me back for all those decades of abuse.  Well, I should say it began to pay me back.  The punishment lasted close to a month, and any time I tried to work around it, I found out real quick who’s boss.  Here’s a hint – it’s not me.

Thanks to modern medicine, I’m about back to normal, or my interpretation of the word.  I can sit and stand and walk, which is something I’ll never again take for granted.  And thanks to modern insurance, I get to do it all again.  Back pain can come from a lot of sources, and apparently one wildly successful pain injection doesn’t prove a thing.  We have to prove it twice.  Fun.

We were supposed to leave this frozen tundra a week after I went down, but it’s hard to drive 1800 miles when you can’t sit upright more than 3 minutes.  And my wife refused to drive that distance with me laying across the back seat.  One trip to the doctor was enough for her.  Okay, so I complained about her acceleration and braking and turning and her uncanny ability to find every single bump in the road.  Sue me.

But, when life hands you lemons, you make whatever drink takes your mind off the fact that you’re not where you want to be and way too old to throw a tantrum.  Alcohol may have been involved.  And in case you’re wondering how much bourbon it takes, don’t even try.  I’m told there’s a limit, and it’s not nearly enough.

Since we couldn’t leave for warmer weather, we improvised.  Which means we kept the blankets out a while longer.  Meanwhile, my wife was able to reschedule her second hip replacement for last Thursday.  With two brand-new hips, she’ll be running circles around me in no time.  Actually, I’m okay with that.  I can just sit there and watch.  If she starts running in a straight line, it’s all over.

Life doesn’t always go the way we’d planned.  I’ll wait while you pick yourself up from the floor.  But following a plan is easy.  It’s when the brakes go out that you prove your worth as a driver.  You don’t cancel the trip.  You change your pants, fix the car, and get back on the road.  The destination hasn’t changed.  Just your means of getting there.

We all have visions of where we’d like to be and how we’d like things to go.  Call it what you want, but at its very essence, that’s a dream.  It’s an imagined outcome we hope to achieve.  That may be as complex as building a second income or as simple as getting to work on time.  Regardless, there will be obstacles.  But obstacles were made to be overcome.  And with each one, you get stronger.

As you start your day and your week, expect the unexpected.  Come to terms with the fact that, no matter what, the unexpected will not change your goals.  The dream is still alive.  You just may have to take a different path to get there.

That’s all for now.  Follow your dreams, no matter what stands in your way.  You’re bigger and stronger – trust me.  Have an awesome day!

© 2024 Dave Glardon – All rights reserved