Young At Heart

I keep forgetting that I am not as young as I used to be.

Young at heart, yes, but time does not spare one's body from the ravages of age. Okay, maybe the word "ravages" may be too strong, but certainly, the joints are not as smooth as before, nor the muscles as supple, nor the vision as sharp nor the hearing as acute. So to me, "ravages" describes very aptly my perception of what aging is doing to my body against my will.

Just last weekend, I went on a bike ride with my son around the neighborhood. It was just half an hour, along paved streets. But that half an hour spent hunched over the bicycle was enough to strain my back and make it damned difficult to get up the next morning. I could envision how I must have looked hobbling around with one hand on my lumbar spine, needing help to get up from a chair or to get out of the car. My lumbar muscles were probably all spasmed up, and I think I probably lost my lumbar lordosis too!

Two sessions of Chinese massage, and a couple of doses of Celebrex & Ibuprofen later, I am much better but can still feel that there is spasm in my lower back. At least I can get up without any assistance now. I have one more session of Chinese massage this afternoon which will hopefully help to relieve more of the spasm.

Sigh.