I’m finding that aging with a disability is one tough deal. We all slow down as we age, because we lose neurons in our spinal cord, which according to my physiatrist, is a “normal” part of the aging process. The problem is, I have fewer working neurons to begin with due to my spinal cord injury, so age is hitting me hard.
When the world shut down in March of 2020, for a while live music stopped, too. Those who were in the business of making music for a living no longer had an audience to play for, an orchestra to play in or to conduct, a Broadway Musical or a church to sing in, a concert tour to go on, performers to write music for.
I stopped coloring my hair because I was tired of spending the time and the money on doing it, and because I didn’t think I was fooling anyone about my true age. It was a sudden change from one week to the next.
With warmer weather and dry roads springing up everywhere, I’m seeing a ton of people out on bikes. It’s great. I’m a cyclist from way back. I was able to keep riding even after breaking my neck. There’s nothing better than spinning along the road on two wheels—or heading up a mountain trail, if you have the strength and balance. The scenery, the wind in the face, the endorphins are all to be enjoyed.
When Abraham Lincoln laughed at something during the Civil War, he is rumored to have been criticized for it, and in response he said, “If I didn’t laugh, I would surely cry.” Those of you who are caregivers, either professionally or for a loved one, know that can be true of us, too. If we only see the serious side of things, what is happening can sometimes seem unbearable.