Ph: Life: Check Please! Poem by Brian Johnston

Oh my God! Is it morning already?
Check! Yes, I can see things in my room quite clearly now.
The sun, at least, has started on his appointed rounds.
OK, remember to move slowly Brian. Let’s stretch a little first.
But not too hard, those cramps that you get in your calves
Some mornings can take a half hour or so to work out.
And if you don’t message them vigorously right away
You will be feeling the pain of this cramp all day!

Check! I think the tenderness from last week’s muscle spasm
Is on the mend, just a hint of lower back soreness now perhaps,
But there will be no bouncing on the bed this morning I think.

Check! God I miss getting out of bed with no fear of back pain,
But that will come again, I know, I hope, I pray
As it has so many times before when I was younger
And felt far more afraid that my body was betraying me,
When, as young as thirty, I experienced occasional back pains
That left me crawling to the bathroom for a week or so.
I am 72 now and my expectations of a pain free life
Are tempered by years of real life experience
In both overdoing it and making up for it later.

And no, you young whippersnapper, I am not out of bed yet,
But now, my body stretched out along the edge of my bed,
I am ready to move my legs off the edge of the bed
And let their weight pull my body erect to a standing position,
Check! Well, that went well this morning!

Now, I rest momentarily, butt leaning against the bed,
To test out lower leg strength and balance.
Check! So far so good. I take my first few steps
Holding on to the foot of my bed frame momentarily
Before letting go to begin the trek to the bathroom.

It may be hard for you to believe, if you are under 50
But I am hoping to be playing tennis in an hour and a half.
Check! Morning libations accomplished. POTUS on the move!