Life is full of waves. Embrace Them.

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I turn 70 this year.

Yep, the big seven-zero. And let me tell you, this weekend was a stark reminder of how time flies and how our bodies change along with it.

It all started on Saturday morning when I decided to join a drumming circle to connect with life’s rhythms. It was a great way to kick off the weekend. Afterward, I attended a workshop called “Connect,” which is part of the Discovery Seminars I coach. In Connect, the focus is on enhancing our understanding of our communication styles and how to more effectively connect with others.

All was going well until, out of nowhere, my right knee decided to make a grand entrance. And boy, did it make its presence known. It began with a little bit of swelling in the back and then… it started screaming, “I’m here!” By Saturday night, I could barely walk. The pain escalated to the point where, by Sunday morning, I was throwing up and couldn’t stand. Ouch!

Finally, after calling 8.1.1. for medical advice, and being told I’d best go to the hospital and have it checked given I’d been in pain for so many hours, we called an ambulance. My husband, who suffers from COPD, wasn’t able to help me get to the car.and I definitely couldn’t navigate my way there, even with crutches. My leg just wouldn’t bear the weight.

Fast foward to several hours in Emerg, I arrive back home late Sunday afternoon with my knee drained of excess fluids, some pain killers and a prescription for anti-inflammatories along with directions to RICE my knee for at least 72 hours. RICE, btw, stands for Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation. Who knew?

Oh. And a diagnosis that makes my almost 70 years on this earth seem older than I think I am — Inflammatory Arthritis.

Ugh. I mean seriously? Arthritis can just decide to attack and inflame a joint at whim? Now that’s not fair. But then, my mother always told me, life wasn’t fair. Get over it.

Sigh. If only I’d listened to her advice, or at least when she’d cautioned me, all those years ago, to ‘be careful’. If only I hadn’t always thought I had 16 year old knees every time I attacked a mogul field and if only…

If only’s don’t matter in the here and now.

The fact is, there’s no use dwelling on the “if only’s.” I can’t change the past, and honestly, I wouldn’t want to. I loved skiing like a maniac when I was younger, challenging myself on mogul fields, cruising down groomed slopes, and floating through deep powder. It was exhilarating. And guess what? I can still enjoy some of it without trying to prove that my knees are still 16 years old. Because, well, they’re not!

What matters in the here and now is how I navigate what is here. Now.

And that is my choice. I can do it with denial. I can do it with anger. Or… I can do it with grace.

I choose grace.

By embracing grace, I open myself up to life as it is, not as I wish it to be. I can appreciate my body as this incredible vessel that has carried me through so much and still has plenty more to go (hopefully) before I take my final breath.

So, here’s to cherishing the present, embracing our limitations, and gracefully riding the waves of life.

I mean, it’s been an incredible ride thus far, I’m looking forward to all the adventures yet to come!

16 thoughts on “Life is full of waves. Embrace Them.”

  1. Knee pain. Sucks. I hope that you are able to find a way to manage it consistently when it arises. We live and we learn. We are our own person and often we have to accept our own consequences, whatever they may be, even if other folks try to forewarn us. Congratulations on turning 70 this year as well.

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    • Oh my goodness Val! Your comment made me laugh. it’s delightful — and true! 🙂 And yes, Ibuprofen (for the time being Naproxene) help with the inflammation temendously — as does RICE. Today is better than yesterday. I am grateful. ❤

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  3. Painful as it is, your body is telling you to slow down, refocus on how you tackle challenges and chores. It seems, from my circle of friends, that the 7th decade likes to arrive with a wake-up call – time to slow down, take life in hand and enjoy each moment. Yup, been there, done that and have the aches and pains to prove it.

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    • I like your outlook Iwona. Yes — for some reason, I have a message that runs in my head that says slowing down means I’m lazy, doing nothing means I’m a laggard and not being focused on ‘accomplishing’ tasks is a bad thing.

      I am breaking down those barriers to being present in the now — and when I forget, my body has this wonderful capacity to remind me! 🙂

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  5. Thanks for reminding us we always have a choice by
    choosing GRACE over denial & negativity.Sending you healing energy Louise, so once your knee is feeling better you continue living your life.
    Hugs, Yolanda

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  7. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. By experimenting and the advice to avoid foods and pain medications – it’s the only thing that works for me. My knees are fine, but my hand writing hand – all the fingers hit a lot of keys and click the mouse a lot – so it’s limited for everything I enjoy. Some things we can ‘use the other hand’, but I have so much experience being right-handed and left-brained, I have no idea what will happen!

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    • OUCH!!! So sorry to hear about your fingers Mark — that’s a tough thing for a writer! Re right-left — who knows what magic will appear when you switch! 🙂 ❤

      And I promise – I am drinking copious amounts of water!

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