My body does its own thing, whenever it wants. I give it
rest, I feed it…and still, it revolts against me. I occasionally lift weights so
that my aging body maintains muscle tone, but by no means do I consider myself the
next weightlifting champion. My son must believe otherwise.
My strength was tested the day my son left his tool bag at
my house and called and asked me to move it. “Ma can you grab my tool bag and
put it in your car?”
I saw the backpack tool bag resting on the side of a couch
in my Living room. I wondered which son had gifted me the opportunity to move
yet another item from a place it did not belong.
I tugged on the straps of the bag; it did not move. I moved
into a squat position, bending at the knees. The drill, tape measure, and other
small items dangling from the side of the backpack, were no indication of its
weight. I stood up, took a deep breath, then squatted again as though I was preparing
for rope slams (from my gym fitness days).
After struggling with the backpack, I called my son and said,
“Carrying you for nine months was a beautiful experience; Carrying your
backpack is a hostile takeover.”
The call ended with me saying, “I am happy to offer advice, encouragement,
and even a home-cooked meal (sometimes). But if you need something moved that
weighs more than a Thanksgiving turkey, please phone a friend. I am physically
transitioning my parenting role from physical labor to project management.”
Story 2 - The Bare Truth
Have you ever had a day, or week where you had so much to do
that you kept pushing through? You could have said “No” to something, but you
thought you could do it all. And that’s where this story picks up.
I jumped into a project that sounded like fun, but I didn’t
know it would require a significant commitment in a short amount of time. This
was coupled with preparing for a special event at work then preparing for an extended
work trip.
Everything worked out, the project I was a part of was
amazing. I called my son on the way home from the event to tell him all the
details. He said, “Well, I’m outside walking if you want to take a lap with me.”
I was about ten minutes from home so I told my son I would join him for a short walk to unwind
(not a power walk). When I arrived home, my son was making his way up the
sidewalk.
My son followed me into the house and asked, “Do you want to
try a pair of my Barefoot shoes.” If you’re not familiar with the shoe,
it’s the kind of shoe where there are individual spaces for your toes or
indention areas for the toes. You can feel the sole of your foot on the ground
as you walk.
I felt a little tattered and worn out, but I wanted to spend
time with my son. I slipped my foot into his extra pair of shoes. The shoes
didn’t swallow my feet, but there was a lot of excess space for my foot to move
around.
After walking a few blocks, my son asked, “How do the shoes
feel?”
“Too big, I’m gripping my toes to keep my feet from sliding
in the shoes. My hip is hurting on one side and the back of my quad on the
other,”
I limped and waddled side to side the last block back to the
house. This was a cross fit training I had not signed up for. Once we made it
back home, I pulled off those Barefoot shoes and let my bare feet touch
my hardwood floor.
The next day my neighbor called me and said, “I saw you on
your walk yesterday. You looked like you were going to pass out. I thought I
was going to have to send my wheelchair over to you.”
We shared a belly laugh, and I explained my Barefoot
experience. I was tired and so were my feet…that’s the bare truth.
Each of my sons took me on a journey my body was not
prepared for. What I’ve learned from them is to expect the unexpected. Relax
and go with the flow.
What is one unexpected encounter you’ve experienced lately?
How did you handle it?
