Path-ology

With the unusually mild weather we have had lately, I've been able to hike and walk a lot this January. Which is good, because I threw out my right shoulder and my doctor told me I should try to rest it for a couple of weeks so that it has time to heal. That means no push-ups, no plank position when practicing yoga, and no weight training on that arm. Who wants to have one muscular arm anyway?

Walking is the easiest on my shoulder. I keep my hands in my pockets most of the time. Hiking has been more of a challenge. I like to use my arms to balance on uneven trails. When the ground shifts suddenly, my hands shoot out to counterbalance. That isn't a problem under normal conditions, but the shoulder pain is not helped when I reach out to try to avoid slipping into mud.

Yesterday, I hiked with the kids. I had to. The weather was gorgeous, and it hasn't rained for a few days. So off we went to my favorite hiking area, Cranberry Lake. And amazingly, we did not get lost. I have some history with getting lost there, ever since I walked us off the purple trail and we had to walk through brambles and scale down a cliff to reach a marked path. It's little things like that that the kids never let you forget.

To pass the time, I tried to be funny by making up puns. I guess I wasn't. They smiled politely, but didn't laugh too much. I explained that pathology was the study of trails and trail markers. Empathy is feeling the path beneath your feet. An obstruction in the road, like the squishy, five inch deep mud that requires you to walk in the bushes, was a pathogen. Pathological has to do with knowing you are going the right way on the path. I'm so glad I didn't lose the trail this time. That would have been pathetic.

Aren't you glad you don't have to hike with me?