Dear Friends,
I wonder if some of you have experienced what I experienced recently.
Along with me, many friends are getting a little older and learning that we now have limitations we didn’t know about.
Case in point: Martha and I attended our seven-year-old grandson Ben Simmons’s soccer game two weeks ago.
Ben said, “Daideo, could you please kick the ball with me so I can warm up?” Now, what granddad could refuse that? I figured that, hey, we’re just going to play the ball back and forth. No problemo. I can do that, and maybe even show that I can still flick the ball into the air and juggle a little.
Now, let me reassure you that I know you have to stretch out before doing this stuff. Those who know me pretty well understand that I found soccer when I was 21, and played pretty much weekly until I was injured at the age of 50 and had to give it up. Since I have barely played since then, my mind remembers what to do and is all in for the activity, but my body screams, “You want me to do WHAT?!?” You’d think that, at 72 years old, I’d know better.
So I played the ball to him. I forgot that, due to his youth and inexperience, his return play would not be as accurate as I expected.
Enter Murphy’s law….The return was fairly well-stuck, but about five yards to my right. I forgot my age and took off after it. I remember reminding myself not to sprint after it (a sure recipe for a pulled muscle), so I trotted after it and soon was running next to it and matching its speed.
Wanting to appear like I knew what I was doing, I flicked my left foot sideways in front of it to kill its momentum.
My next conscious thought was, “Okay, that’s not right.” I felt pain down the inside of my right thigh and down the back of that leg. I remember thinking, “You idiot. Did you just pull your groin and hamstring at the same time?”
Well, fortunately, if I did, they weren’t severe injuries. They’re still bothering me, but I’m recovering.
Of course, Martha asked me if I was okay, then laughed at me for the next 30 minutes. Sound familiar?
Is anyone else experiencing this phenomenon, or is it just me?
Have a great week!
Cheers and Regards,
Kim