I woke up feeling strong, satisfied, and peaceful this morning. And hopeful.

I’ve been examined from head to toe (pardon the expression), and I am healthy across the board and healthier than I have been in several years.

And I’m about to get healthier. I’ve lost weight, gotten my diabetes numbers right where they should be, have a strong and stable heart, and have finally shed the legacy of Covid. Tomorrow, I will move past a crippling structural problem in my leg and get on with my life.

I can resume my daily walks and flower pictures for the summer in a few weeks.

Dr. Daly has prescribed a new brace for my new foot to make walking more accessible and comfortable. That will be much more possible now

In May, shock waves will most like shatter my lone kidney stone.

And best of all, my meditation class from the Mansion sent me an audio text this morning wishing me good luck tomorrow.

On the surface, I’d say losing a toe is a bad thing, yet it has already led to many good things. In a way, that’s the story of life. It is satisfying to be gone over so closely by doctors and found healthy each time. Somehow, this is an affirmation.

It is also gratifying to learn that caring for myself – which I neglected for years –  has paid off. I expect no miracles, not at my age, but I am thrilled in love and life. I never expected to be able to say that. I’ll keep at it. Being happy is the greatest motivation I can imagine. I have a lot to stay healthy for.

My father and I did not get along, but he left me some healthy genes. He lived to be 88 and played tennis every day, almost to the end.

Maria is taking me out to lunch, and we plan to spend the evening re-organizing the house for a few days so I have a place to recline, keep my foot up, apply ice, and make sure I don’t invite an infection.

She is incredibly well organized and not shy about telling me what I need to do. I’m listening; I need be told what to do right now. She is also uncomplaining; I’ve never heard her lament because her ordinary life has been disrupted and will be for the next few days. She never sees herself as the victim, even though she sometimes is.

When I post this, we’re heading to the post office to pick up any mail, then to the supermarket to stock up on food for the coming week. If we do it ourselves, we don’t have to ask anyone else to do it. Once I manage to get myself into the house, the rest is downhill. My pain medicine is ready.

Even though most people don’t recognize it, the gift of years are a gift. Everyone does not welcome them; our society sees aging as doom and tragedy, and there is some truth to that, but aging is also much more than that, as I am learning.

I welcome these years; they have been nothing but good to me. The spiritual task of later life is all about the challenge of embracing the blessings of this time and meeting and overcoming the burdens of it head-on.