Heads up!

The physical therapist was watching my father stand and sit and walk so she could suggest improvements in form (and I wonder how much of her job involves trying to teach old dogs new tricks). "I notice that you walk with your shoulders slumped and your head down," she said, and Dad explained that he's always worried about tripping over something. The therapist ticked off the ways this posture could make his life miserable--shoulder pain, back pain, neck pain, headaches--and I realized: I do that. I walk with my shoulders slumped and my head down as if on the lookout for a gaping chasm that might suddenly open up in front of my feet. It's hard to take the long view when you're constantly looking into the chasm.

So this morning on my walk I resolved to walk with my shoulders back and my head up, which was particularly difficult when I was walking up a steep hill on gravel. (In Florida all my walks were on flat, smoothly paved sidewalks, which resulted in knee pain and blisters. Apparently my body is so accustomed to walking in deplorable conditions that it considers the smooth path an insult.)

I walked up the steep hill through the woods with my head up and when I reached the ridge on top my head was still up so that the first thing I saw when I got out of the woods was lightning striking in the distance and black clouds rolling my way. You don't want to be walking on the highest ridge in the area when the lightning bolts start to fly, so I moved off the ridge and hustled on home with thunder urging me on my way.

We need the rain and I made it home without getting blisters or being struck by lightning or falling into any gaping chasms--and I kept my head up. Some days that's about as good as it gets.