take the hike

For the last year, or maybe five (I have a terrible sense of time), my hands have been hurting. Certain activities make the pain flare, like rolling out pastry and heavy lifting, and opening screw-top jars has become borderline impossible. When I split wood this winter, I felt the aftershocks for days.

And last fall I gave up kickboxing because punching things wasn’t helping. 

When it got so bad that scribbling out a handwritten list was too painful, I finally decided enough was enough and trotted myself off to a hand specialist. The doc ordered x-rays which confirmed his suspicions: arthritis of the CMC thumb joint.  Now I wear a thumb brace to sleep, and while doing computer work.

The diagnosis felt more weighty than I expected. There’s no fix (except maybe surgery if it gets bad enough), so it’s like I’m being forced to welcome in a crotchety and troublesome housemate who is insisting on staying until I die. How rude.

Oh, and in other news, I’m no longer playing Ultimate. There was all that trouble with my knee, and then when I figured out it was tendonitis and eventually nursed myself back to health, I’d still get occasional twinges, reminders that my body isn’t going to last forever.

The good news is that even though Ultimate is a no-go, I’m back to running again! Technically, I suppose that means I could play Ultimate, but I know I’m just one cut away from being incapacitated (again). Giving up Ultimate stinks, but I like being able to run pain-free even more. 

And being sidelined isn’t all terrible…

As a result of these developments, I’m acutely aware of how wonderful it is that I can still freely move my body. So this past weekend when some friends asked us on a hike, I immediately said yes. 

The whole afternoon was spectacular. Hours of conversation, four miles of uphill walking (and then the easy downhill back), gorgeous views, greengreengreen, sunshine in my eyeballs, birdsong, chocolate bars, and tromping through the middle of nowhere with people I love. 

Note to self: whenever possible, take the hike.

This same time, years previous: spicy water, civil rights learning tour: Montgomery and Selma, the coronavirus diaries: week nine, our sweet Francie, settling in, the quotidian (5.8.17), Moroccan and carrot chickpea salad, the science of parenting, how it is.