Yesterday (Saturday, 11/2/13) Anne's and my son Kyle called and asked if I would join him at his son, our grandson Keoni's soccer game. Of course I gladly went.
Keoni is 13 and is a talented soccer player, playing with some kids 14 and 15 and while I was there he scored a goal, hitting it from the far left on a difficult angle.
But it also gave Kyle and me a chance to talk and I listened as he discussed some stressful issues he is successfully handling. At one point he referenced doing something to collect money that was due him that was different than I would do today at age 68, but not different than I would have done when I was his age.
He hadn't asked for my opinion and therefore I shouldn't have offered it. My concern was for his stress level in collecting that money but he assured me it would greatly reduce his stress level to collect it.
While we were on the sidelines, I told Kyle it is hard on my low back to stand around and that I can walk and talk or we can watch the game from my convertible, which on this sunny day had the top down. We wound up doing both.
The reason it is hard for me to stand around is that in 1999, I got a slipped disc in a weight lifting injury, and although most of the time I function as normal which means other people aren't aware of the injury, I have to be protective of my back.
So I carry a low back support pillow for chairs and either sit or walk around as I mingle with people.
Kyle is known for his sense of humor and he made a wisecrack about the convertible being my wheelchair. I laughed along with him but I'm pleased that despite the severity of the injury, I live a normal and very enjoyable life.
Dick
P.S. As a personal observation I'm not sure what constitutes a normal life for every person has problems he or she deals with. Only in the facade of normal does everything seem normal, but then that is what is normal.
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