4:20 a.m. 61° F. Wind gusting. Dark Sky signals cloud cover @ 100%. Rain in an hour.
I walk.
Cove Island Park. 424 consecutive mornings. Like in a row.
Why so groggy?
Mind scans the pre-bed time routine.
- Shower.
- + 2 Advil PMs. Essential for 6 hours of sleep.
- + 2 Advil Dual Action Acetaminophens. ‘Now get up to 8 hours of powerful relief…lower back pain…’ It ain’t eight hours of relief. It’s like four. And I’m now on Amazon’s monthly, serial subscription ordering plan.
- + 1 little blue pill. To keep the pipes running. TMI.
- + Sugar, throughout the day up to bed time. In the form of handfuls of Hersey’s nuggets, bags of Welch’s Fruit Snacks (they are small bags), and the latest addition — Swiss Miss Premium Rich Chocolate Hot Cocoa. With a handful of mini marshmallows sprinkled on top.
There was a time. No flu shots. No aspirin. No cold medication. No allergy medicine. No Anything. A diesel engine that would just keep running. Middle age Plus = Wheels coming off this bus.
I walk. Limping. Left, lower back in a bad place. Internal parts, bones, blood, arteries, nerve endings, all sloshing in a sugar bath.
Nope. I don’t want scolding, coaching or gentle persuasion from you Sugar-Free Vegan’s out there. No. Don’t want to hear it. This isn’t a Cocaine problem, or an Oxycontin problem (yet).
I walk. Back is loosening up. Continue reading “Walking. And Self Medicating.”