AN OLD NEMESIS

If we're all truthful, there's probably one, or more things in our past, that if we had the option for a "do over", we'd probably jump at the opportunity. I'm not just talking about relationships, or decisions that we've made, I'm referring to anything that has occurred, where the result wasn't always the optimum.

In my case, there isn't much that I would do differently. I've been blessed with opportunities that some people only dream about, and I have a wonderful partner to share these golden years, where we have the ability to fulfill many of our dreams about living life on our terms, during these retirement years.

Having said all of that, there is one thing that I would change if I could wave a magic wand over an event that occurred in 1987. This was the year that a traumatic, on the job injury, started a chain of events, that continues to this day. The net result of that injury wasn't all bad however. An early retirement opened new opportunities, and allowed me to have a second career as a business owner, with a great partnership with the Mitchell and East families.

Despite all of the positives and awards that came with those entrepreneurial years, if I could go back and undo that injury, there would be no hesitation. From time to time, mostly due to my own fault, and stubbornness, the ugly side of my lower back problem rears it's ugly head, and I pay the consequences. Unfortunately, that's what I'm dealing with at the moment, and will continue to deal with, for at least the near future. This usually happens every year or two, and it's always because my independent, do it myself personality, wins out over the little voice in my head that says, "don't do it". The don't do it in this case was the lifting of my motorcycle carrier that goes on the back of the motor home. The heavy lifting causes the two herniated discs in my lower back to swell against the nerves, and as a result, I have to deal with pain and numbness in one, or both of my legs. Sometimes the discomfort is mild & very temporary, and sometimes it can be intense & last for weeks. I think this latest episode is somewhere in the middle. The good news has always been that tincture of time takes care of the problem, at least until the next time I do something stupid. The difference is that for the first time, I'm not using any painkillers, other than over the counter stuff. That's another story for another time.

This issue is not something that is easy for me to talk about, simply because it's more of a private matter, and because in many ways, I'm a private person. What is important, is the reality of a condition that at times has caused a disruption in what otherwise has been a pretty normal life. If there were "do overs", or second chance's in life, this would be the one that I would take advantage of, and in the process, say goodbye to an old nemesis.