Ass in Chair

 OK, so much for writing every day.  That takes a lot of discipline, the discipline of Hemmingway or Jack London, to write every morning when it is clear and cool, when your thoughts are fresh and your pencil is sharp.  Or as a famous writer friend of mine tells me that the secret to writing is; 'Ass in Chair'.

Well I've spent two months with my ass in a chair, not writing much, since my writing desk makes my new Achilles tendon swell up and turn purple.  I've been recovering slowly so I can start rehab.  To be honest, it has been brutal and sad and without the love and support of my wife I would be sunk.  Family and good friends helped too.  And Hockey.

But we have made slow progress and made it thru to the other side.  From the second day after surgery when I fell opening a broken door, to yesterday when I took my first bike ride, it has been a journey of pain and frustration, doubt and resolution.

I took baby steps and found hope in slow progress.  From losing one crutch to becoming partially weight bearing, from beginning PT (Pain and Torture) to losing my boot and cast, from picking up marbles with my toes to going riding and swimming, I patiently took the steps required.  Patience is the key but we have everything but time.  Therein lies the dilemma.

These setbacks bring new resolution, for the things I took for granted, for the things I thought I had left behind, for the things that will shape the future.  Things like walking, swimming, riding, hiking and  skiing.  All  in due time.  Who knew I would love returning to the gym - I hate the gym.  

And slipping into a cool pool on a hot day never felt so good, walking, treading, swimming laps - slowly at first but then returning to form and flying.  And soon I will be driving again, feel the independence I have lost and expand my world to what it once was.

We are trying to take this as an opportunity, to appreciate where we are and our mobility, to resolve to live life to the fullest and to do the best we can, every day, every year.  To defining what a sustainable lifestyle looks like at our age.  We resolve to renew our travel but not to flit around as we have in the past, from city to city, beach to beach - If it is Tuesday it must be Belgium.  Mobility isn't everything.

Staying in Arizona a few extra weeks has improved our appreciation of the place, the people and the heat.  So we plan to visit less places and stay longer, for weeks and months at a time, so we can really get to know a place and its people, its tempo and seasons, its climate and weather.  It's like it's better to have a few good lovers or friends or conversations, than many surficial ones.

We have miraculously endured The Covid peak unscathed, the Insurrection, the Inauguration, and multiple mass shootings while enduring our own trivial trials and tribulations.  Winter has come and gone, unnoticed in this desert climate, and it must be springtime for it is getting hot and the Cacti are blooming.  We have enjoyed our time in AZ  but now we have had our two vaccine shots and are ready to put this bad year behind us once and for all. It's time to go home.  If that is possible.

So now am up early with my ass in my chair writing away, but now I hear a higher calling.  I think I might have heard the highway call.  Its time to get out of the safe end of the swimming pool and back on the bike again, while it is clear and cool, the wind is down and the trails are empty.  Ten, twenty, thirty, forty mile rides, one hundred miles this week so far.  Independence, Freedom. Liberty.  The pursuit of happiness. It's go time.  Ass on seat.  

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