“The sunrise view” — that’s the formal name of the featured image in this post which is an x-ray of my right knee flexed. It’s called the sunrise view because the patella (the kneecap) appears to be rising over the horizon. Here are the sunrise views of both knees:
As some of you know, I pulled the hamstring in my right knee one Saturday morning in February out in the pastures where I take long weekend walks. I couldn’t walk very fast for a couple of weeks, but then it began to feel a bit better — though it still ached — and I started to walk faster, adding a mile, then another mile.
In April, it was clear that my knee wasn’t getting any better, so I finally saw my GP. He confirmed it was the hamstring and advised me to take Aleve in the morning and the evening for two weeks. I did, and it felt better. At the end of May, however, all pain let loose, and my knees were x-rayed.
On Monday, my orthopedist drained my right knee of excess fluid and shot it with cortisone which I have assiduously avoided in the past. The knee feels better, but my orthopedist also informed me that I could no longer ride bikes, do lunges or squats (part of my strength training on Tuesdays and Thursdays), or “any exercise that requires bending your knees.” He then said, his voice dropping, “I’m afraid you’ll only be able to take slow walks on flat surfaces. Avoid hills.”
SLOW WALKS ON FLAT SURFACES?! You mean like the long 7-8 mile walks (and less than a quarter mile is a hill) that I’ve been taking for a couple of years, waking up early on Saturday and Sunday to catch the sunrise? You mean my sunrise x-rays confirm that I can only do what I’ve been doing?!
I’m grateful, of course, to have a professional medical blessing on my growing relationship with Mother Nature. Lately, I’ve been journaling a lot about the sunrises I wait for. Stay tuned. I’ll be posting about what I’m learning.
Grateful you will still be able to walk and continue to connect with those sunrises! This picture, the sunrise seen through those stalks–will you have to lie on your back to get pictures like these if you can’t do squats? Beautiful picture, by the way, as are your other sunrises.
I think the sunrise will be happy, too, that you will continue to be watching for her. Amazing how these bonds develop, isn’t it? And I do like to think of them as two-way bonds. Just as the sunrise has become an important part of your life, somehow you have become a part of Sunrise’s life–surely she would miss you! I know. Probably a bit hokey, but…who knows?
I look forward to taking a walk with you in August!
Having had friends die too soon, I am starting to see the symptoms of old age as an odd blessing associated with the gift of a longer life. I can live with cataracts, arthritis, weakened bones, failing teeth. Yes, I will live with all the failings of age for the pleasure of one more day on the planet.
Sigh, a day late. I echo Carol’s point of view of a two way relationship with the sunrise and also Beth’s point of view that aging symptoms are an odd blessing. We can hold both, grumpy about the pain and blessed to be alive! And your witness/writing/pictures is an added blessing for you and for us. Thank you.
Not to worry about being a day late, Charlotte. I’ve been kind of absent, too, mostly because of disruptions inside my home which make me want to stay outside ALL THE TIME!
Yesterday, during asbestos removal in the crawl space beneath our coop units, workers found a leak under my unit. It was traced to my hot water heater that is being replaced today. It’s located in the downstairs coat closet which necessitated moving EVERYTHING out of that closet into the living room. “We’ll have a blow torch in there to connect pipes, etc., and don’t want to start a fire.” All very intimidating and disrupting as hell. The catties are confused — there’s no place in the living room to sleep thanks to closet shit EVERYWHERE.
I just want to get this over with. Thanks for listening.
Also, it was one year ago today that I launched Spark and Spitfire. Congratulations to me.
Congratulations indeed!! Love your blog wisdom and presence and courage to tell the truth and to love so deeply.
Sorry about the closet. Glitches just keep happening. No small thing to be a human being on planet earth and to keep coping with the glitches while we are on a soul journey!
Thank you, Charlotte. I didn’t think anyone would read the comment about my first anniversary. I thought I would be celebrating just with me, myself and I.
By the way, all my wisdom, presence and courage has been fueled by following in the footsteps of others like you. So much love to you.