As if Nothing Happened

I just got back from a great walk. A "walk for coffee" as I used to call it. I moved with ease and had ample breath for the hills. There was no discomfort in my chest. Not even the slightest bit of congestion. While my right hip still has a twinge of stiffness, my back felt fine.

I sat on a stool and drank a frozen latte granita from the deli about 12 blocks away. Didn't even give the high chair a second thought. There was no pain.

Yesterday, I drove almost the entire circumference around Lake Tahoe. My 12 year-old Nissan's bucket seats were not a problem. Nothing distracted me from that mesmerizing view. Once I got to South Lake Tahoe near the casinos, I decided to park in the Mount Bleu's lot and repeat the walk Verna and I took last August. Back then, I had to beg Verna to stop or slow down, several times, as I was gasping for breath. This time, I couldn't believe how quickly I walked the route. In fact, I extended it about a half of a mile.

The swelling has finally left my legs. I can actually see my calf muscles again. My body feels like it is finally returning to normal. Not the almost-normal of last fall. The "normal" of 2009.

It is almost as if nothing happened at all.