This past week I had a bout with kidney stones, and it reminded me that I’m not as young as I used to be. Back in 1995, I was working in a grocery store bakery and had my first encounter with them. It was pain like you wouldn’t believe, like someone was driving a knife into my side and it just would not quit. I called my supervisor (it was 4 am) and told her that I was going to be driving myself to the ER, as I wasn’t going to be able to finish out my shift. She understood and covered the rest of my time and I did just that, though with the pain the way it was, I’m shocked now thinking about it that I actually made it without causing some sort of accident.
I spent several days in the hospital, before the stones passed. 30 years later, it happened again; with much different results. THIS time around, it took the better part of 10 days to have some sort of resolution, and even then it’s not completed. I still have to have 3 more surgeries to deal with the issue, because now the stones are so large that they can’t be removed by just drinking gallons of water.
Coming up on my birthday in a week, I’m being continually reminded I’m not as young as I used to be. Which is kind of sad in a way, as I’ve always liked to think of myself as an overgrown kid. When people would say “act your age!” I’d inevitably reply “But I’ve never been this age before!” and think it the height of hilarity. But recently, as I’ve experienced setbacks and hospital stays, aches and pains and more frequent visits to the chiropractor et al, that’s really not the case anymore. I am getting older.
The day after I exited the hospital after my most recent episode with kidney stones, I went out to mow the lawn. Now granted it was about 90 and a bit humid, but I started in the backyard where it’s shady and managed that ok. By the time I got into the side yard, it was full on sun and I was already starting to get a little winded. I pressed on however, and got that section completed. But as I was working on the part in front of the house, I had to stop. Just too hot and it wasn’t feeling good. So, I left it for another day. Though now almost a week later, I still didn’t complete it. Which hasn’t happened in a long while.
Being reminded continually that you’re getting older isn’t the most wonderful thing in the world. But as I do get older, I think back on lots of things from when I was younger, lamenting on some of the things I wanted to do back then, and not necessarily got to. Financial reasons, physical limitations and so on. Many people have written about the same thing, and/or similar circumstances. Sometimes culminating on a last gasp sort of post or lament on social media before their ‘untimely’ (or even timely) end.
Either way, I AM getting older. But I’m not done yet. There’s more sunrises and sunsets to go. And the grass will continue to grow. And it will need to be trimmed. I still have gas in the tank. Let’s go!