Update:
I’ve been busy the last few days. I’ve gotten a lot done and going to
bed tired every night. I’ve been getting
up at 4:30 a.m. every day to have breakfast with my wife before she heads to
work. Usually after she leaves I would
go back to bed for another hour or so of sleep.
For the last week, I’ve been unable to get back to sleep so I’ve been
staying up. That means by 9 p.m. I am
wiped out and getting ready for bed.
Most days I take a 15-30 minute nap before dinner so that I am fresh
again for the evening. Having the extra
hour or so in the morning does allow me to get more things done! But crashing
before 9:30 p.m. stinks. I was only able
to make it to half time for the Packers-Seahawks game on Thursday. The way it ended, maybe that wasn’t a bad
thing.
Although a friend offered me his left-handed bow, I decided that it
wasn’t the best course of action for me—the draw weight was a bit too high for
me and I’d have a steep learning curve with getting used to shooting on the
opposite side. So I elected to buy a
crossbow. With just a couple of quick
adjustments I was able to shoot bull’s eyes at 20 and 30 yards. I am already confident enough to go hunting
with it. Archery/Crossbow season starts
next Saturday. I went out once last year
before getting sick and missing the entire Gun and the rest of the Archery
season last year. I really missed being
out in the woods and so I am looking forward to hunting this year. Without all the kids at home to feed, I can
be a lot more selective on what I deer I harvest.
At the gym, I found 5-6 cardio machines that I can actually do! My prosthetic leg is not built to do a full
range of motions (ankle fixed position, slightly limited knee), so many typical
bikes and ellipticals, etc. don’t work for me.
I found one hybrid bike/stair-stepper that I could do—you push instead
of pedal. I ended up going two miles on
that one. The rest of the equipment I
tried for a short time. The
stair-stepper that worked for me had me panting for breath within about 3 minutes. I’ve got a long way to go to regain my former
strength and stamina; but I am working at it!
I also decided to give the pool a try.
It was a bit of a tricky dance getting my pre-swim shower, putting my
left prosthetic leg and right shoe back on to walk to the pool, then taking it
all off at poolside, and then slipping into the water. I swam for about 30 minutes and then reversed
the process to get back to the showers to wash the chlorine off and get dressed. Getting in the water was fun and relaxing. I found that my legs don’t supply as much
thrust as they used to when I kick.
Imagine that! Since my amputation
I had been teasing people telling them that I can only swim in circles because
I am missing a leg. The reality of it is
that I can swim in a straight line. Myth
Busted! Although the exercise is less
intense than weights, it is a constant motion so I was really bushed after the
swim.
Last night after dinner, I decided to trim the hedge and rake up the
horse-chestnut leaves. The horse-chestnut
trees always lose their leaves about this time.
My wife was concerned that I would over-do-it; but being a typical male,
I don’t have a clear definition or understanding of that term, so technically I
didn’t reach that threshold of over-doing-it.
I think I reached did-too-much; but that was it, honest! Ha Ha!
Let’s just say that when dark forced me inside, I got stiff sitting in
the recliner after 40 minutes.
Saturday morning I’ve got a big load to take out to the lawn waste
site. Trying to get the full cans of
wood chips, etc. up on the trailer might prove too heavy for me; we’ll
see. I’ll have at least two loads of
stuff to take out. Afterwards there is a
workday at the church working on our building additions. I don’t know how much help I can be today but
I plan on being out there and getting in the way. I’ll take a few pictures of the work at
least!
Thought for the Day:
I found this quote while reading this morning:
“Here is a test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished. If you are alive, it isn’t.” Richard Bach.
This is a great reminder that our life isn’t over until it is
over. I know that many people look
forward to retirement. A time when they
can kick back and take it easy. I don’t
think there is anything wrong with slowing down and pacing yourself; but I don’t
believe that we should be giving up our volunteer work at church or in our
community just because we reach a certain age.
Certainly as we grow older our life experience is an important commodity
for us to pass on; it would be a shame to let it die along with us.
Schools are looking for people to read to kids, teens need mentors, and
in the church younger believers need an older believer to help them in their
Christian development. Just spending
time being a friend to one person may be the most important thing that you do
for the rest of your life. There are
innumerable ways in which you could be a blessing in the life of someone else. Offer a night of free babysitting to parents
who need a night out. Help a teen with
their math homework. Give a stranger a
smile and a warm greeting. Send a “Thinking
of You” card to someone you haven’t seen in a while.
Every one of us has something to offer, something that we can do to
brighten someone else’s day and to help lighten their load. It may not take much; but each of us should do
something to make the world a better place.
I know that as people age and lose some of the freedom and abilities
that they have enjoyed all of their lives that they can sometimes question
whether they have anything left to live for.
I believe that everyone does.
Somebody out there needs you and what you have to offer. It may be something quite different from what
you used to do. But remember that the simplest
acts may have the greatest consequence—so don’t discount what you have to
offer.
Just like you are never too old, you are also never too young to make a
contribution. Just being around a child
who is full of life, joy, and energy can be an uplifting boost for
someone. Getting a hug and a smile from
a toddler might just be exactly what that person needed for the day.
So wherever you currently find yourself, you have a mission. Seek to be a blessing to someone else today.
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