Heavy Lifting
I'm having a hard time coming to grips with my age. In two weeks, I'll be turning 61. It's not really that old, though I am now considered a senior citizen by all accounts. Some consider me to still be young, as many folks live well into their 80s and 90s. By that reckoning, I'm a young pup. But my dad died at the age of 64 and many of my relatives died younger than I am now. For the most part, I'm in decent shape—I mean, I just explored Costa Rica and did a lot of hiking on moderate to challenging trails. Last year, I hiked the Andes of Peru and lived to tell the tale. Okay, the altitude was hard on my lungs. But I survived. But over the past year, I've had arthritis set in many joints: knees, hips, and shoulders. And I'm pretty sure it's affecting one of my elbows. I go to bed with aches and awake in pain every day. I try to manage the pain with Tylenol and Advil, with some Voltaren applied for good measure. But one thing that is becoming a prob...
