Taking IT for Granted

Moon Gazing by Todd Young

I stepped out back tonight to watch the moon in all her full glory.  Truly nothing quite so magical as the late summer full moon.  When it disappeared behind some trees, I began looking for familiar stars.  Secretly waiting for Betelgeuse to reappear in my sky.  I noticed a little faint star near my neighbor's tall pine tree.  When I really looked at it I realized it was in fact TWO very faint stars separated by a fingernail's width of night sky.  And I wonder what else have I overlooked in my haste to get on with a day's living?

I'm dealing with a mom who will be 84 this year.  We have definitely had our squabbles through the years, but those are quickly forgotten in the face of watching her begin to struggle to recall basic details like how to get to my brother's house or church - places she has been countless times.  It doesn't happen regularly, just often enough to let us know it's coming.  I see how fragile is the thing we rely on to navigate our lives.

I, myself, am dealing with a knee injury of some kind that seems to have happened, not out on the trail where you might expect it, but walking through a flat-as-a-pancake cemetery.  Perfectly manicured grass with no places that might trip me up.  One misplaced footfall and I felt the knee squink and try to buckle.  I continued on knowing there would be lots of rest and ice to make it OK again.  I gave it a couple weeks off the trail.  Continues working - a girl has to eat after all.  This past weekend I just couldn't sit anymore and did a short 2 mile hike.  It has a bit of a climb but it's at the beginning when my legs were freshest.  I navigated the majority of the trail without incident.  The knee held through every upward push that I asked of it without griping.  The downhill part was another matter.  Every step carefully chosen and STILL i re-activated the squink.  Each step popping the knee and causing pain.  Two days of rest, ibuprofen, a great deal of energy work and a good massage and it is feeling much better.  Still hovering ready to resquink, but holding.

So, tonight I find myself thinking about things I overlook in my life.  Being able to navigate where I need to go without fear of getting lost, or of looking at a set of steps as insurmountable.  You just never know when those things are not going to be there.  And then what?