Watch Your Back

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A bit of sunshine and last weekend saw me digging and weeding in the eldest's garden in Nottingham. It's in a more sheltered situation than my own and after the long winter months I was pleased to be able to spend two full days in the open air, working hard. Regrettably the journey home was  uncomfortable when the good old latissimus dorsi began to ache and the next morning I could barely stand up straight.

Ever the fool, when the weather finally picked up in the North at the end of the week I spent another two days, this time in my own garden, digging, weeding and albeit a little late, planting summer flowering bulbs. Needless to say I literally could not move on Friday evening. Once again it has taken two days to recover to a stage where I can at least walk comfortably even if I am not yet ready to bend down.

One of the problems with retirement is remembering that just because you can make hay every time the sun shines doesn't mean you must. You have to take into account, regardless of all the stretching in Pilates and Yoga, that it's easy to strain a muscle and, if you do, that the recovery time is longer than it ever used to be.


Comments

Jane said…
I can empathize totally! I am trying to relax today since it is a cloudy/rainy day conducive to staying inside. I've been out over the past 4 days picking up trash at my favourite hiking trail for Earth Days and am feeling it! I tripped on a root and fell heavily on my should and also acquired a lovely Harry Potter lightning bolt scratch on my forehead from diving into thickets to retrieve empty water bottles and pop cans. I tend to frequently forget my age. But then my body reminds me.
26 April 2016 at 18:05
Caree Risover said…
Yes you might think that with age would come wisdom, but instead we wait until we feel the pain before stopping. Glad I'm not the only one and do take care.
15 May 2016 at 21:42
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