It has been a long two months. Surgery was required to relieve pressure on Tricia’s spine that was being caused by a cancer tumor. The surgery was a success and we are celebrating a miracle that she still has feeling and use of her legs. However she can’t walk yet and I am pretty much having to provide care and support 24/7. We have great faith that the in home physical therapy is going to work and she will be back on her feet soon. However in the meantime, very little time has been left for my own mountain adventures.
Today was a first though, my back has been bothering me for years and the pain has left me unable to run any significant distance. When I was young I was given a series of low back exercises designed to rehabilitate a stress fracture and I have been meaning for a long time to use that method to get my legs churning again. Too busy with life’s ups and downs, the time to get it done never seemed to be the top priority.
However, today was the day. As I assisted Tricia with the wheelchair and the walker I started to think. What is stopping me from working on my back in between sessions working on her back? If I can build some strength and loosen up those old lower spine vertebrae what would stop me from taking a few laps around the block? So I did it. I found an old exercise mat and put it down. Three sets of 10 reps and a mile of walking at the 8500 feet of elevation that Woodland Park provides are now behind me.
Who knows what tomorrow will hold? Whatever the outcome, I am determined to make the best of the time I spend working on our rehabilitation.
Isaiah 40:31 “They that wait upon the Lord will mount up with wings as eagles. They will run and not be weary and they will walk and not faint”
