Day Eight - Who's Crabby?

You probably noticed that there is no Day Seven. I did go to the pool and do my routine, but writing in my blog was out of bounds. I woke up feeling cranky, crabby, angry, and everything else in between. Why? I dunno, I had a few ideas why I was cranky, but now I think it was just "stuff" finally coming out of my mind as my body has been doing it's job. I have heard that our bodies store emotions if we do not attend to them when experienced. As we exercise and do healthy things for our bodies, they have to clean out all of that stored up junk, to make way for good things to come. If that is the case, then watch out world, there will be plenty of unpredictable days in the future. Did I store up a ton of anger? I think I've stored lots of things over the years. I am one of those "grit your teeth and finish it. No pain, no gain" guys from way back.

I was so out of things last night that I went to bed three hours early. It took me a while to finally reach unconsciousness, but it happened. I watched another movie from the "50 mysteries" dvd set that Bryce gave me. "The Shadow," it was a unique break from reality.

This morning I was not as sore as I have been since I started this whole process. Stiff? Yes, I was still stiff, and as I started my morning routine I discovered many sore muscles. My Mother tells me that this kind of soreness is a "GOOD FEELING." Sure is Mom, I rank it right next to having a big toe removed. I do understand that there is going to be discomfort as my body experiences new demands. I used to work out 4 - 6 hours a day when I was a younger man. However, right now I think I would rather hide under the blankets. Will I? Absolutely not! I have made it this far, I think I can keep going one more day. From my perspective that is the key to success right now. Not thinking about the hundreds of days ahead, just today. Then, when I finish my workout, I can worry about tomorrow. Any more and it starts feeling overwhelming and I wanna run away.



One problem that people with diabetes have is tender feet. I mean really tender. Think of the most tender part of your body, that is how tender. Dad found some water shoes that looked like a nice way to handle sore feet in the water. The only problem is they were hard to get on and off. He came up with a great solution, a knife. He trimmed off the back of the shoes and turned them into slippers. Now when we want to walk to and from the pool we can use the slippers to protect our feet. He also uses them to do water walking.




When Dad & I arrived at the facility everyone seemed to be smiling and focused on things other than me. The staff was polite and the patrons seemed immersed in their own world. In fact I didn't feel any eyes staring at me at all, at first. Then a few moments later I felt like everyone was looking and thinking mean thoughts. My fear started to climb, the adrenalin rushed to my brain and the desire to flee blasted through my body. It took me a few moments to regain control and I realized that it was all my perception, no one was staring, no one was mean, no one even noticed me, they had other things to worry about. Hmm, nice discovery.

When I got into the pool it was filled with kids at play, parents having fun, and distractions all over the place. I walked down the stairs and got right to bobbing and splashing. It was not as difficult this time. I felt like I was not even working some of the time. When the hour was over I was tired, but not exhausted. I also noticed that my anger and frustration had almost disappeared. It was a liberating day.




After I dried and dressed I walked to the front counter for the "key exchange." Dad was already waiting and we headed to the car. As I passed Island Athletic's holiday display I smiled. I can't say that things are easier now, just that I am encouraged, I have completed 8 days! That feels like an accomplishment. I am looking forward to reaching 9 days.