Body Ails Yet Spirit Soars

Fifty-one autumns ago on a vibrant blue sky morn, I was running in my high school girl's cross-country race in Bethpage Park, Long Island, N.Y., as many ponytails bounced under canopies of red, orange, yellow leaves on the runner's trails, my young strong legs pumped earnestly as I inhaled and exhaled the briskly fresh air. I finished third, after another girl and I had made a wrong turn, she came in second because she realized quicker than me how to get back, and I did my best to catch up. Oh, the joys of being an athlete so long ago as a runner, swimmer, and equestrian. Now, at sixty-six I have bone-on-bone osteoarthritis in both knees, getting around can be a challenge. I thought of orthopedic surgery, but with the risk of hospital-acquired infections, and a long recovery, I've decided to "sit this one out." Body ails, yet spirit soars, prized memories of jogging along the Fire Island surf, and horsebackriding in West Hills on a gentle spring day. I walk with two canes, sometimes I have pain, but my Amish ointment soothes the aching. I'm proud to recall when my nine year old grandson was three, despite my decrepit knees, and his swift running start, I bolted after him before he ran out of the supermarket automatic doors into the parking lot adjacent to a highway. Out of breath, I grabbed him by his shirt, can't escape from Nana! I know it won't get better from here, but I'm facing it with determination, my daughter and her family are supportive. Body ails, yet spirit soars, as if so high close under the clouds, like an eagle beyond her prime years, gliding on the summer winds. ~