Count Your Blessings

It's funny the things we take for granted without even thinking about it, like the simple act of bending down to pick something up, or climbing stairs, or reaching up for something on the top shelf.

Last week my husband had his hip replaced, and since then he doesn't bend. This means if he drops something he can't pick it up unless he has his grabber handy. And patting his cat, who likes to flop down on the floor in front of him for a belly rub, is out of the question. Of course this is just a temporary condition, and by temporary I mean it'll last somewhere between 6 to 12 months, but still, it makes you think.

And how about climbing stairs? How often do you take the stairs without giving it a second thought? This is something I have actually thought about. I have a friend with MS for whom stairs can be problematic, depending on what kind of day she's having, and she also has trouble reaching for things on the top shelf. Such simple things . . . when you have your health.

This little snippet of introspection was brought about by my weight workout. :-)

A few months ago I began working out with hand weights, starting out at three pounds, then upgrading to five pounds. Last week I started to wonder why I bothered - I didn't feel like the weights were doing anything for me and I was just wasting my time - and then I remembered it was supposed to be a progressive thing, as in once you get comfortable with the weight you're using, you increase it. So I did.

I have discovered that seven pounds is a lot heavier than five pounds. Especially when you've slacked off working with any kind of weights for several days. My left arm hurts from wrist to elbow. Looks like I'll be back to sleeping with the wrist brace again.

Oh, the things we do to get in shape. :-)

To be honest, I was tempted to slack off and skip the next weight workout, but I didn't. Instead I thought of my friend who can't reach for things and my husband who can't bend down. I can do both, and the pain I feel lifting weights is self-inflicted and will pass in a couple of days. Nothing a hot shower can't help with.

Time to start counting my blessings instead of my pains.