We See What We Want to See…..

Angry, frustrated, saddened, irritated….
Any other words to express discontent

We all do this – even myself
But when you’re the subject of it,
it sets off bells and whistles within

Ii frequently have to have iron infusions
Yesterday was another one
It’s no big deal, i just lie there for a few hours
drip, drip, drip

oh, and of course, there’s the vitals
pulse, blood pressure and respirations
Ah, this last point is the problem

Every time I’m there the nurse focuses only on that
my respirations.
there aren’t enough of them she says
as i talk with her freely and easily
it’s too low
as i laugh and tell her not to worry

But, alas, she continues to worry
every time is like a broken record

So why am i irritated?
two reasons
She’s trying to make something be wrong
where there is nothing wrong

yet, she ignored the most important
where there might actually be something wrong
my weight is down 8 pounds
in just one week
that is not normal
does she address that?
of course not
she hasn’t even looked at it
she hasn’t even compared weights
it’s all in the computer
but that does no good
unless you look at it

she doesn’t see (or even ask)
that i’m being evaluated for
things that can cause this
unusual and not so good
weight loss

it doesn’t matter because
what matters to her
is what she can see
my respiratory rate

i want to scream
but don’t

keep your eyes open
look ALL around you
wise old words
“There’s more to this
than meets the eye”

The Road to…. Nowhere

It’s been a long journey…7 1/2 months
3 weeks til I was supposed to leave
Now I have no idea if I’ll even be able to go

November it was just a matter of 6 weeks down
No problem…got a book written
(yet to get published unfortunately due to other’s lives..sigh)

December comes along
Should be good to go
Ready for an Arizona trip
A 6 day race with good friends!

Now it’s 8 weeks and things are no better
WTF is going on?
Ok so maybe I’m just old and it will take longer
So, cross Arizona off the books

January slides into existence
A new year, a new you
Isn’t that what people say?
Seems the “new” part just passed me by

Finally get things checked out by someone “official”
Off to physical therapy
That will fix everything, right?
Nope..a cattle factory – but nice people

Physical therapy then screws up my other knee
Now I’m gimpy on both hooves
Can’t even spell gallop let alone try to

March comes blustering in
My hero emerges though
A medical masseuse that can perform magic
Gets me back on the road with a tolerable foot

April brings the “hip” Terrie to the world
That, is a problem not so easily solved
He works and works and I can do more than before

Memorial day races come up
I can walk many miles
I continue to crank out the miles
Using my magician in between
Training hard, training long

3 weeks to go
Oh no
Uncertainty raises its ugly head
Again

Perhaps a femoral neck stress fracture
Ortho here we come again
Can we get an MRI in time

Will I even have the chance to try
Uncertainty for the main course
Disappointment and despair on the side
Fear and regret for dessert….

What will the next 3 weeks bring…..

“Don’t Quit” vs “Keep Going”

I’ve been thinking about this for a week or so now but after reading about one of my friends’ battle with a running injury called “the Lean” (kind of imagine what it says), I thought this was a good time to write about it.

Is there a difference in these two commands? And, if so, what is the difference? Who cares?

The last question is the easiest to answer. You should care especially if you care about supporting people, not just in athletic events but in all aspects of life.

If you write (or tell) “Just Keep Going” that makes the recipient feel that they will let you down if they can’t. There may be a physical injury that they could make worse. They may not know whether it’s that or not. In life, the individual may feel they will have to keep slugging along even if their gut feeling is that it may not be the correct action or decision.

You’d be surprised (or maybe you won’t be) how influential peer pressure is and how many people succumb to it. So, be careful what you advise.

In contrast, “Don’t Quit” gives people an option to slow down or even stop, assess the pros and cons or the possible dangers of going along the same old way. What “don’t quit” means is to keep pursuing your goal. The emphasis there is on YOUR goal. But we all know that there are different ways to achieve goals. Sometimes you can plod along on the highway straight ahead but at other times, you may need to stop and get gas, food and maybe even get some rest. Once, that is one, it’s also possible you might hear about road construction up ahead slowing all the traffic down. Or maybe weather conditions prevent safely continuing on the originally planned route. You’re not going to turn around and go home (depending, of course, on massive weather shutdowns but that’s not the norm). You’re going to reassess how to get to city X. You talk to some people, check things on your map app, call AAA or a combination of these. Once your plans have been revised, you’ll head off, most likely in another direction on another road. Maybe it will be longer, maybe shorter, maybe bumpier, maybe smoother. Who knows (that’s part of the excitement)? But you’ll get there. You didn’t quit. You reassessed and revised and regrouped.

Life is like that. If your goal is to help people you care about, then you’ll apply the “don’t quit” philosophy and offer help along the way. You’ll cheer them on as they regroup.

What are your thoughts and even more, how has this affected you in your life?