I slept an odd four hours straight last night and must have been in the same position for awhile. For the first time ever I woke up with my body stiff and sore to move. When I got up, I felt weak and unsteady on my feet and was glad a seat was nearby. A few minutes of stretching and walking and I was fine but it gave me a glimpse into what some people may experience all the time. It was a deep sleep of complex dreams and my mom was in it. She passed a month shy of her 64th birthday, my dad when he was 62. Later I recalled mom had arthritis, so I figured it was her stiffness i might be feeling. She had an orthostatic tremor, which means she’d get spells of her legs feeling weak and unstable and she’d be panicked looking for somewhere to sit if she needed to.  I didn’t for a moment think “Oh, I must be coming down with that, too” but rather it was a glimpse into what she likely experienced every day. I figured it might be muscle memory from the dream. Mom never discussed her ailments unless I asked, so they aren’t what first comes to mind when I think of her.  She had several physical issues, none disabling but including chronic pain and anxiety.  She took a lot of medications to keep it all in check so she could continue to work. She was a savvy, smart, intelligent, kind and gentle woman. She was always interested in medicine and worked at the V.A Hospital. It was easy in that setting to discuss aches and pains and get several opinions and diagnoses of what it might be. Unless it’s an emergency, I don’t go to doctors anymore since my experience is that everything passes when I eat healthy and stay in motion. In my 20’s and 30’s I had health insurance so I went for “regular checkups” and described every little ache and pain I felt.  Whatever got treated I know now lasted longer than it should have since I was focused on treating an ailment. I’m sure I would have had a different life if I’d believed every diagnosis I was ever given. At 64, I have no health problems and take no medication. I live a blessed life. I have no complaints whatsoever.

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