As I near 40 years of age, I can reflect back on my life so far with all the memories I have. I realized, though, that not all of my memories are in my brain. I can look at my body and find memories of good times, stupid ideas, and the battle wounds of growing up in my scars.
I have a mark on my left wrist - a jagged vertical line. I don't remember what happened, but I do remember the face of my friend Laura Lokay from the second grade who told me know to pick at it. When I look at that scar, I can see her face so clearly and even hear the wise words coming from her 7 year old mouth.
I have a chicken pox scar on my chest. I got chicken pox as a gift from a classmate for my 17th birthday. I remember being out of school for about 4 days and missing our homecoming game. I also remember the night before I broke out. My good friends to me out to celebrate my birthday and we returned to my house to watch movies. Sometime during "The Running Man," I realized I had a fever. We had to send my friends home, but I still remember having a good time.
On my leg ankle, there is a big spot on top of area where my foot and leg meet. I fell down the patio stairs at my fraternity house in college (Yes, it was a co-ed business fraternity called Alpha Kappa Psi and we had a house on fraternity/sorority row at UGA). I fell with my foot under my body and am really lucky I did not break anything. I was pretty drunk (surprise!) at the time, so it probably kept me from realizing I was falling. Man, there were some good times in that house and on that patio.
I cut off a big chuck of my right ring finger and you can still see the damage. I was trying to impress this wonderful guy by making dinner for him. I was using a mandolin cutter, and just when he asked me of I should be using the safety guard, I sliced off the side of my finger. He was so calm. He cleaned my up, threw out all the food (and I presume part of my finger), and ordered pizza for us. Thank goodness he decided to marry me despite my being an absolute klutz.
My most recent scar is from an attempt to do a muscle up at CrossFit. I never did get that move, but I will always have a discoloration on my right wrist as a memory of trying to do it.
My favorite scar, however, is from the cable car incident while on vacation in San Francisco. I have a nice scar in the middle of my right shin. Bill and I were riding on the running board of a cable car on our first day in San Fran. We went around the corner, but we were heavy. The operator asked all of us on our side to jump down and push us through the corner. Well, I jumped a second too late, and my shin banged the side of the car. I knew it hurt, but it wasn't until we got to the hotel that I saw I was bruised and cut. At least I knew it would make a good story, and it did.
Yes, I have many scars. Each one has a story - some I remember clearly, and some I can't recall. They are little stories of my life and I wear them proudly.
Showing posts with label aging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aging. Show all posts
Monday, June 13, 2011
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Great Expectations for 2011
2011 is the year I will turn 40. It's funny. I remember as a young teen thinking the year 2000 was so far away, and I would be 28 then. It seemed so strange. I never really though further out than 2000, but here we are 11 years later. I guess the good thing is that I don't feel like I am almost 40 years old. I still feel like a 28 year old.
So, to celebrate this milestone, I have decided to participate in the hardest, longest triathlon race of my life on the last day of my 39th year. I will be racing in the Beach 2 Battleship Half Iron Distance Triathlon. The race will be a 1.2 mile ocean swim, a 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run. All of these events must be completed within 9 hours. Luckily, I have about 9 more months to prepare for the race.
I was inspired to do this event after watching our group of tri friends finish it this past November. I trained with most of them during their preparations. I may not have trained for as long or as hard, but I was there. I felt that I wasn't ready to move on to the longer distance - that it was just too much for me to accomplish. I began to change my mind while sitting out and being the team photographer during the 2010 race. I kept thinking to myself that I should be out there with them. I may not be as fast as any of them, but I still have the ability to complete the race. So, on the day registration opened for 2011, I was ready.
It will be a challenge, but I think (hope) it will be a attainable goal. There is a lot of work ahead, but I feel that I will conquer 70.3 miles on October 29.
So, to celebrate this milestone, I have decided to participate in the hardest, longest triathlon race of my life on the last day of my 39th year. I will be racing in the Beach 2 Battleship Half Iron Distance Triathlon. The race will be a 1.2 mile ocean swim, a 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run. All of these events must be completed within 9 hours. Luckily, I have about 9 more months to prepare for the race.
I was inspired to do this event after watching our group of tri friends finish it this past November. I trained with most of them during their preparations. I may not have trained for as long or as hard, but I was there. I felt that I wasn't ready to move on to the longer distance - that it was just too much for me to accomplish. I began to change my mind while sitting out and being the team photographer during the 2010 race. I kept thinking to myself that I should be out there with them. I may not be as fast as any of them, but I still have the ability to complete the race. So, on the day registration opened for 2011, I was ready.
It will be a challenge, but I think (hope) it will be a attainable goal. There is a lot of work ahead, but I feel that I will conquer 70.3 miles on October 29.
Friday, April 23, 2010
The other alternative is dying
It seems that this year, more than any other, I have really noticed that I am aging. It is not so much my mindset, but my physical body. In my mind, I am still the same person I have always been. I know that technically I am an adult, that I have a job, pay my bills, take care of a home, a husband, and two dogs. I still feel like a kid though, as if I am just playing at these things. My mind does not feel any different that it did 10 years ago.
The body is a totally different story. I noticed this week that I have a lot of silver hair growing near my scalp. I have been coloring my hair for years, but I have never noticed these hairs like I have this past week. It made me briefly wonder what my hair really looks likes under all this dye, but then it made me even more determined not to find out. I also have floaters in my eyes now. Every now and again, a lovely little black spot flies past my eye and there is nothing I can do about it. Some days, my body just feels like it is slowly breaking down - the knees are a little tight, the muscles are a little more tender. I went through a phase where I believed I was having heart issues. Every little twitch makes me think something could possibly be wrong. I was never like this before. I am middle aged. When the heck did that happen?
The body is a totally different story. I noticed this week that I have a lot of silver hair growing near my scalp. I have been coloring my hair for years, but I have never noticed these hairs like I have this past week. It made me briefly wonder what my hair really looks likes under all this dye, but then it made me even more determined not to find out. I also have floaters in my eyes now. Every now and again, a lovely little black spot flies past my eye and there is nothing I can do about it. Some days, my body just feels like it is slowly breaking down - the knees are a little tight, the muscles are a little more tender. I went through a phase where I believed I was having heart issues. Every little twitch makes me think something could possibly be wrong. I was never like this before. I am middle aged. When the heck did that happen?
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