DAMAGED GOODS

 POST # 437

                      AT THIS MOMENT, ALL IS WELL, BUT NOT FOR LONG

Damaged goods.  That might be a good description for the state of things in 2021 in the United States of America, but that isn't what I am referring to in the title of today's post, the first for 2021.

But before I get to the damaged goods part, let's go back to December 29th, when this latest journey began.  After spending almost two months hunkered down at the Hotel Patricia in Vancouver, it was time to put on my wandering shoes one more time, and take a trip south of the border, in spite of all the drama involved with travelling these days.

To cross the border, your only choice is to fly because the land border is closed to non-essential travellers, like this wandering Canadian for instance.  So once again I found myself out at YVR airport.  My flight was early the next morning which meant that I would have to spend the night on a bench at the airport. For anyone that has been reading this blog for a while knows, spending a night at the airport involves my regular run-in with security.  However, this time I had the upper hand, because once I arrived, the first thing I did was to print off my boarding pass.  With that task completed, I purchased some food, settled myself down in front of my computer, and happily munched away. 

 

 Moments later, Mr. Security showed up, right on schedule, or perhaps ahead of schedule, as they would usually wake me up after I had found a comfortable bench.  "Excuse me sir, are you flying out in the morning?"  "Well as a matter of fact, yes I am."  With my boarding pass presented, he thanked me and went on his way.  I would have no worries about being able to have a nap later on, without the concern of being disturbed.

Morning arrived, and soon I was through security, and US customs.  I wasn't sure what going through customs would be like this time around, however, when the officer asked me why I was travelling to the US, I just told him the truth.  I said that "I wanted to visit a dear friend, and that neither one of us is getting any younger, and with the way things are going these days, I wasn't sure whether or not I would have another opportunity."  All he said was, "have a nice trip."  That certainly was an unexpected, but pleasant response from him. Soon afterwards, I was  on my way, flying south through the grey December sky, arriving just after 8am in Seattle.  From there, a shuttle bus to a bus stop just down the road from where my dear friend Mary lives, and she and Dora-dog were there awaiting my arrival.  It would be an early night for me, as I was bagged after the recent journey.

It's been wonderful to have the opportunity yet again, to spend some precious time with Mary and Dora-dog.   The other day, because the sun was out for a change, we decided to drive to a park that is one of our favourite places to take Dora-dog for a long walk.  And here is where we come to the title of today's post.  The photo at the top of the page was taken just a few moments before we parked the car.  Up to that point, all was well.  Once Dora-dog was out of the car I went to hook up her leash, and when I bent over to accomplish this task, I experienced a pain in my back, like none before, and I have had my share of back pain over the years.  But this was truly different, and much, much worse.  That happened on January 3rd, and I have been "damaged goods" ever since that time.  Thankfully, as of today I am beginning to feel like I am slowly improving, so things are moving in the right direction, although there still is pain in a variety of locations. And at my age, one never really knows what else might be lurking inside. Once again, I have been shown how easy it is to take things for granted, like flexibility, movement, and no pain. 

So my apologies to anyone who hasn't received a rapid response from any emails sent my way.  I have spent most of my time the past few days, lying down and trying to relax.  So far, it seems to be working.  And of course, Mary has gone out of her way to care for her ailing Canadian.  And Dora-dog is always there to put a smile on my face.  All things considered, I really don't have anything to complain about, so perhaps this is as good a place as any to end this post.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer