Things I've taken for granted

The human body is an amazing creation. Sometimes we don't really grasp that till we lose something we've always had. Many people my age are familiar with some level of pain from injury, disease, or simply getting older. Others are fortunate enough to not have any major health issues.

Before reaching my mid-forties, the only experience I had with real discomfort was in bearing and delivering my three birth children. I was virtually accident and illness free through my adulthood.

Now I know how much I've taken for granted. I've alluded to some of my limitations in earlier posts and would like to give you some more specific examples. My hope is that there will come a day in the not too distant future when I read this and am thankful I'm not experiencing these things on a daily basis anymore.

-I can't comfortably read a book to Samantha because it involves sitting next to her; couches aggravate my pain.
-I struggle to help Samantha clean up her messes because it involves a lot of awkward bending or twisting.
-I can't drive or ride in a car for very long without feeling pain in my lower left back.
-I can't push a grocery cart unless it's perfectly balanced and even. I've had to change carts several times after getting into the store. I can't accumulate too many groceries at once or I have trouble.
-I can't sit very long in the family room to watch TV because I have to turn my neck and it messes up my alignment. We have a TV in our bedroom also but I can't see it very well because it's farther away.
-I can't lift a full basket of laundry and carry it w/o aggravating my condition.
-I can't pick up Samantha or anything heavy.
-I can't go w/o shoes while walking/standing or my pain increases.
-I can't vacuum or clean bathrooms.
-I can't climb flights of stairs too often in a day.
-I can't do yard work or gardening.
-I can't do cardio exercise except mild walking. Even being in a pool is difficult.
-I can't sit at a booth in a restaurant without hurting. Straight chairs are the best.
- I have great difficulty keeping my legs and feet well groomed.

Okay enough examples. I can still cook. I can still run errands. I can still type. I can still attend church (with my pillow). I can still read and have my devotions. I can still do paperwork and laundry. And many other things too.

When am I totally pain-free? When I'm sleeping. When I wake up in the morning, I'm "cured." For about 15 minutes or so. Then the cycle starts all over again. When (not if) I get better, I'll never never take the small things of life for granted again.