Getting excited about life in general. That’s something that had started to dwindle for me and I have no idea why. It could have been a gradual slowing down related to my hip dysplasia, the gradual wearing down of the joints and the physical limitations. That happened over the span of – oh my gosh – 15 years.
It all started on the tennis court one cold night in 1996. I “pulled something” and my tennis match ended. Then, the slow down began – physically at first, but eventually, it crept into my head and the “are you limping” comments started to weigh on me. Yes, I’m limping; yes, I’m slower; yes, I have limitations now. The pain started gradually, too, and the pain started to show in my face. Smiling became an effort. After the first hip replacement, people started to ask me if I’d “had work done” on my face; maybe I’d had a face lift or something. Living with that constant pain had done more than I realized. It had crept into my face, into my smile, into my eyes and I projected it outward.
Now, 15 years and two total hips later, it’s time to crank up the smiling! There is no more pain and no more reason to go slow anymore. I want to run and feel the wind in my face; I want to take chances and not think twice when I see a small hill or a tall mountain. I can go up or down and my legs will carry me. It’s time to get them strong – stronger than they’ve ever been, so that I can be like my little cat Rocky when he leaps – with grace and no effort whatsoever – over the fence or the table or the hot tub cover – his lithe and toned muscles carry him over any obstacle with the greatest of ease. I love watching him. He’s always looking UP – how high can I go? Where is the next place I can get up even higher ? What a wonderful way to live, always seeking the next higher ground, always wanting to go higher and keep seeking the next platform above the last . . . how high can we go? What might we all be able to attain if we just keep looking UP? Thank you, my sweet cat, for teaching me. And, thank you Dr. McPherson for healing me and giving me the ability to be whole again, to smile again and to go as high as I humanly can go.
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