Everything Old Is Older Still

I've had one of these: it lacked aloha.

The good news: I don't have a torn ACL!

This despite what the orthopedist suggested when he sent me to get an MRI.

The bad news: I have...

"COMPLEX TEAR OF THE POSTERIOR HORN AND BODY MEDIAL MENISCUS WITH HORIZONTAL, FLAP TEAR AND RADIAL TEAR COMPONENTS ALONG WITH MEDIAL MENISCAL BODY EXTRUSION AND INTRASUBSTANCE DEGENERATION"

I don't know why the radiologist is yelling at me—like this was *my* fault or something.

I mean, we fully embrace the ancient wisdom to live long and prosper:

✅ Exercise

✅ Healthy food

✅ Fresh air

✅ Aloha vibes

AND YET...here we are. Staring down a six-month window before I'm (theoretically) "pain-free" again, according to this guy.

Things I can do in the meantime: walk, hike, farm chores, Bosu strength training, ride a horse, et al.

Thing I can't do: run.

I know, "not running" for a while is a small price to pay versus a year-long rehab from an ACL reconstruction. Having had one of those, I can confirm the process was far more painful than the actual injury. 

Moment of immature ingratitude: I just really miss running.

The upside: the best running of my life—even at my advanced age—came after that rehab. I've done the work before, and it was 1000% worth it. I can do it again.

The downside: there is no downside. (Iota of wisdom courtesy of being old enough to be grateful.)

The good news: I don't have a torn ACL!

The bad news: {smiles, shrugs, gets to work}

Four Years Later

"Are you better off today than you were four years ago? The answer is a resounding no."

—Elise Stefanik (R-NY), March 6, 2024

***

I don't know about you...but my recollection of "four years ago" is pretty clear.

And as much as I'd like to forget that time—I really would—I'm stuck with memories I can't shake.

Four years ago I was busy moving our daughter home from San Diego State University—barely ahead of a pandemic rushing at us like a Cat. 6 hurricane.

Schools, businesses, and entire communities were hurriedly shutting down and going remote (as best they could)—the responsible thing to do in the face of a disease we knew little about and from which we had no defense.

Retired game show host Donald Trump, meanwhile, was telling people this new disease was no big deal, and it would be gone in a couple weeks—because it was "just like the flu."

Shortly thereafter, Trump would suggest people protect themselves by injecting bleach, or ingesting horse dewormer, or basking in ultraviolet light.

Advice like that—along with the Trump administration's intentional sabotage of the US response to COVID-19—led to the deaths of 400,000 Americans by January, 2021.

It's worth revisiting these little details when Elise Stefanik (R-NY) tries to tell us we were better off in March, 2020, than we are now.

Because she and a lot of other geniuses would very much like Donald Trump to be president again—since his last go-round was such a smashing success.*

(* If by "success" you mean the devastation and debauching of America.)

It's also worth noting that Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is out of her damn mind.