I’m not much for New Year’s resolutions, but 2018 involved so much angst — my accident, my mother breaking her hip, my father recovering from a fall, my stepfather’s illness — that I’m going to make an exception this year. I’m planning a better 2019 and I’m hoping that the universe will comply.
My resolutions should be achievable. Here they go:
- I am going to finish fixing my body. I’m almost completely restored to my pre-fall abilities but there are a few pesky things that still don’t work quite right, such as my left rotator cuff and my left ankle. Actually, my left ankle is doing really well except for the pain I get from riding. Over the holidays I walked several miles a day without issue, but an hour in the saddle? My left ankle hurts.
- I am going to regain my flexibility. I’d really like to be able to sit down on the floor and then stand up again without having to plan exactly how I’m going to do it.
- Start foxhunting in the spring. By the time I felt ready to hunt, the weather didn’t cooperate.
- Sell off my excess saddle inventory and try not to replace it. Okay. That one may be wishful thinking, but I’ve got a few saddles that I haven’t used for awhile. It’s time for them to go.
I’ve had two rides so far in the new year and both were excellent. Zelda and I didn’t do much more than walk through the trails and enjoy the view. Freedom isn’t much for sight seeing; he prefers to canter the whole time, so I rode him in a field where the footing was good and enjoyed his energy.
What are your resolutions for 2019?
Sorry to hear you’re still in pain. For the shoulder cuff, only TOT (tincture of time) will help. Be nice to it. (I’ve had frozen shoulder, torn rotator cuff, dislocated shoulder and arthritis, all in the same shoulder). I”m not a doctor but like most of us, by the time we reach a ‘certain age’ we’ve worn out parts of our body and they don’t heal as fast as when we were puppies. The ankle? I wonder if you could try a different stirrup?? (Ankles are hocks, by the way, ones we walk on.) It may be that in the healing process, your ankle weakened from disuse. I’ve had 6 surgeries on my left foot and every time the healing process takes a little longer, because I’m old, and it feels as if I have to learn to walk again every time (after two months in bandages.)
Have you considered acupuncture? I’ve found it to be a great pain reliever and after several treatments, even things like shoulders feel better. Good luck.
As far as my resolutions:
I need to stop swearing so much. I spent over 20 years in the Army in a non traditional (read that: tank mechanic) field, where everyone was male and every other word was the eff word. I’m retired now and haven’t touched a tank engine in years, so there’s no need for me to be so cussy. But still…I find swearing to be an enormously effective release of angst when things go &^%%$# wrong…;-)