By Jan Miller Penton

I lingered over coffee as nighttime cobwebs slowly lifted. After my second cup my plans for the day began to take shape, and I took a peek at my calendar to see if I had forgotten any previously made plans. Although I balked at changing to my phone calendar, I now embrace it, and wonder how I got along without those reminders dinging every now and then to keep my day running smoothly.

I have been working on getting more exercise, and I meet one of my friends, Laura, at Crosby Commons three mornings a week. It is so much easier and more fun too when I exercise with a friend. On those mornings when it would be a temptation to lollygag around and forget exercise my phone dings, and I hop up to go.

We started slow at only three laps plus one cool down with my trusty canine friend, Missy, whose little legs work really hard just to make it one time around. After a couple of weeks we added another lap and plan to keep on adding every week or two. I don’t really know what the end goal is; but I guess we will know it when we reach it.

I’ve always enjoyed exercise and played sports when I was younger, but after enduring severe arthritis for several years culminating in two total hip replacements I’m happy to be able to walk without pain. There was a time when I would have been embarrassed to tell anyone that I was pumped about walking a little over a mile, but we aren’t in a competition so what does it matter?

After my hip replacements I was really weak. It wasn’t due to the surgeries only, although I’m sure they played a part. I had been sedentary for quite a while, and my muscle tone had really deteriorated. Before surgery I could only make it one slow lap around the track so four quick ones and one for cool down is quite an improvement!

The weather this time of year is almost perfect to me, and the beauty all around beckons many folks to get out of the house and start moving. There are always garden chores that need attention, and everywhere I look I see people out enjoying their yards and gardens.

When storms blew through our area earlier we were blessed to come out unscathed, but those pines on our land dropped tons of cones. I have been out today picking some up, but it will take a while. Go figure, there is another way to get my exercise although probably not my favorite!

Sometimes I think about the ways our world has changed. In many ways things were more to my liking before, but there is always so much to be thankful for.

I thank God for the wonder of modern medicine. So many strides have been made to make our lives easier and better. People are living longer, healthier lives, and I’m forever grateful.