The First OUCH!

Robert EbsenOP-ED

It's amazing how a little pain can make you feel OLD.

It's amazing how a little pain can make you feel OLD.

You wake up one morning and there it is — OUCH!  

I used to be able to raise that arm easily.  OUCH again.

All the things that go through your mind.  

Is it cancer?  

Just a temporary sprain?  

Should I ice it or apply heat?

A few days go by.  

Your wife tells you to see a doctor.

The doctor tells you it's ______.  

Not to worry.  

It will probably only last a matter of months.  But, that's only if you follow these guidelines.

Why am I complaining?  

It Pains Me to Say This

I'm certainly old enough to have pains.  

Everyone else my age has had them, it seems.

BUT I haven't.  

I was special.  

I felt great.  

I wasn't OLD yet.

BUT WAIT — 68 is kind of old. Maybe it's just my time to feel old.

BUT I don't want this pain — it makes me feel OLD.

What can I do?  I could listen to the little voice in my head that says, “Accept it.  You ARE OLDER now.  It's your time to experience some pains. It may be the first OUCH. And maybe it's not going to be the last ouch. So accept it as part of life. When the pain bothers you, take a Tylenol and relax.

I like the saying “You're as young as you feel.”  

And I WILL still feel young — through any pain — because I refuse to “feel OLD.”

How do you feel?
 
Email me at   robertebsen@hotmail.com