Rehabbing My Life

I started cardio rehab this week. I’ll be attending three times a week for the next twelve weeks. If I miss a session, they’ll add it to the end. There are two parts to each appointment. The first is instructional and the second is cardio exercise. We’ll be building on stamina and strength. And, hopefully, I’ll be rebuilding my heart. Your heart is a muscle, and like all other muscles, if you don’t use it you lose it.

I understood going in that diet and exercise are important parts of a healthy lifestyle. I just never followed the path until now. Health issues are a wakeup call. If you don’t have a good ticker, there’s trouble on the horizon. If you’re not careful, you may not have one. I want mine and I want it way out. Far, far away.

I’ve been doing a better job of addressing diet and exercise since Christmas. After almost six months, I’m in a better place but far from perfect. I don’t know about you, but when I’ve received help in the past, I reverted to my old habits as soon as I felt better. Physical therapy is the best example. I’d go to therapy for x number of weeks, feel better, be discharged, and return to my evil ways. I should have continued on my own, but I didn’t. At seventy-eight, I hope I’m older and wiser.

Understanding the importance of diet and exercise is really a no brainer. What I didn’t consider are the soft skills. Relationships are a BIG deal. You need people in your corner.

I’ve been lucky most of my life to have a great support system. I have friends dating back to my elementary school years. They poke their heads into my life on a regular basis. Some read my blog. I’ve got high school and college friends and some former students. A few dozen work friends remain in my life. We don’t speak every day but they, too, read my blog, comment sometimes, and let me know that they’re still in my corner. I think people remain in your corner because you do them right. They care about me because they know I care about them.

And then there’s Ed. No one has a friend like him. He’s a few months short of turning 108. He reads my stuff, and we discuss life from time to time. We did just that a couple of days ago when I stopped in to see him.

I’ve got friends scattered throughout the country with two big pods of people. One in Florida and one in Michigan. I have poker buddies in both states. My Michigan group goes back forty-eight years. We sometimes tell the same lies we told forty-eight years ago. My Florida poker friendships don’t go back that far, but the lies are similar.

Many of my Florida friends were made with Ruth by my side, but I’ve managed to make new friendships on my own since losing her. The two largest groups are my memoir writing friends and the single people I met last winter in Singles New Beginnings. As my group of friends has expanded, my outlook on life has brightened. I need people in my life. I don’t need to see or speak with everyone every day. I just need to know they’re there.

I’ve got my two sisters looking in on me. Ruth’s sister does too. They’re not intrusive. Just interested.

I do need to have a conversation every day with someone. I like talking about the past and discussing the future. It helps me keep my head on straight.

And then there’s my family. My three kids, their spouses and their kids are the most important people in my life. I helped them become who they are and they in turn have helped me. I learn something new every day. I don’t always like new, but I know it’s important, so I give it a listen during each opportunity. I think we’re still growing together. I know we love each other. We always will no matter what.

So, when my rehab people talk about relationships, I’ve got hundreds in my corner. My corner has grown over several decades. I know too, that I’ve got room for more. I’ll never have too many.

The new relationships in my life are just that. New. They’re not “instead of” or “replacements”. I’ll never have replacements for the people I’ve lost, but I will have new. It took me a while to figure that out, but I’m happy I did.