Changes and Friendliness
The 70’s made me more friendly. No, not the 1970’s, though I felt I was as friendly as could be back then, but my own chronological age 70’s. I live on a small country road that bridges two main country thoroughfares known as Blue Ridge and Stairville. Those have become too dangerous to walk my dogs any longer due to vehicles that just do not slow down for anything, let alone a senior citizen walking her dogs. I am not one for playing chicken any longer, so I now walk only my own little country road.
Not so long ago, it seems, I could walk the length of my road, then cross Stairville road to the cemetery, circle around its paved path and then back home. A moderate walk of three miles for me and whatever canines were still accompanying me at the time as there have been many over the last 45 years.
Things have definitely changed since I retired. One of which is the length of my walks thanks to arthritic knees(most likely from a friendly tick bite, but that’s another story). One week after I retired I ended up in the ER with a full blown flare up on my right knee making it impossible to drive, and regretting I bought a KIA Soul with a manual transmission two years earlier when I thought I was immortal. From there, it got a little better but definitely made it painful to walk any distance. I currently am able to walk half way up the hill that greets me at the start of my walk. Might be a mere 1/16 of a mile. I could manage the entire hill, but going down the hill is more difficult for the knees. The ease of walking downhill is not always what it’s cracked up to be.
Another change is that I no longer walk my two dogs, Piper and Tova together. Though they are both leash trained and generally do not pull, every now and then they want to “play” which usually happens after one of them feels a lot more lighter due to natural causes. Friskiness and play seems to automatically replace what has just left their bodies. I guess it is a celebration of sorts. However, I cannot manage the friskiness of both dogs running around me on their leads. When I try to break up the play, I feel like a happiness sponge. While Piper is only about 30 lbs., Tova is now over 100 lbs. So for now, two separate and short walks twice a day it is, up the hill, down the hill and around my little home base border of an acre. It helps to unload a lot of guilt as well.
Oh, I must not forget about that friendliness that has happened . Have you ever seen the person along the road or in front of their homes who always wave to everyone going by? A kind gesture, I use to think, spreading friendliness. I have always caught myself waving back to a total stranger. Over time, I kind of looked forward to the brief moment to wave to my new friend. Well, as I walk Piper and Tova, I am now that person. I must confess, it was not my intention to wave and greet everyone who passed me by in their car. My neighbor and his wife, who live a half mile up the hill above me, own a used car business. Seems like every week they are driving a different car or truck. Of course, my eyes can never make out who is behind the glare of the windshield and I have become that friendly lady walking her dogs along the road. Hopefully, I have made friends who now look forward to a friendly moment.
