I went to my medical doctor last week for a problem with my wrist. I should point out that I actually see him fairly infrequently in rough increments of 6 months and if I do go, I either need an x-ray or some antibiotics. Unfortunately, everytime I go for the x-ray type of visit I have an internal debate to determine if it is worth it which requires me to reassess the extent of the damage. The reason for this? … because I am subjected to the same line of reasoning everytime.
“You know you are 41[simply subtract a year for every other previous visit]?” This occurrs after he reads the nurses notes and again before I get out of the office.
Yes, snowboarding has brought along with it some interesting injuries (internal bleeding 4 years ago, broken elbow a year ago and this year a badly sprained wrist), and softball has had its shares of concerns (concussion/stitches from the outfield fence, torn rotator, broken finger, pulled hammies and few other oddities), but I find it interesting that a few mishaps overshadow the numerous successes in those activities. I have been playing Softball for 18 years with very few missed games – by my estimates 16 games/season * 18 seasons * 7 innings/game * 3 outs/inning * 2 batters/out = 12,096 opportunities for batters to take me to the fence and the only thing my doctor can focus on is the fact I hit the fence ONCE. Translate that to snowboarding – by my estimates 7 seasons (learned at 34) * 3 outings/season * 3 days/outing * 35 black runs/day = 2,205 opportunities to hit the slopes hard enough to push a rib into a kidney producing some internal bleeding… if I translate that to this specific injury thats 7*3*3*10 rails/day = 630 rails to slide off and inadvertantly catch my wrist under my body.
So, my answer is (and always be) YES, I am [x][x] years old and I know exactly what I can and cannot do. I will fail, I might be injured, but I will have tried once I have prepared. I think we tend to focus to much on mistakes – to remember those times and mentally note a given outcome for a given action is important, but to overlook the successes ignores the dedication and commitment to the performance – since I can remember, I have log every mile I run, track the results of weight training, written down my daily body weight, and documented my blood pressure and pulse. Why – not because my doctor says I should, certainly not because training is fun and I am definitely not being paid to do it… No, because I enjoy the activities it allows me to participate in and provides me a since of accomplishment when I successfully negotiate 629 snowboard rails.
My recommendation – invest in the rocking chair when YOU want to (but only under the assumption you are willing to make the sacrifice of preparation) – Note, good news this time … nothing broken 8^)
Life Intrigued 