My thigh feels like it’s on fire this morning and my stomach uneasy. Taking both dogs out was a painful chore. The doctor prescribed another round of steroids that I will pick up today, hoping that it will give me at least a few days of relief like the first batch. I feel like I’m being penalized for all those mornings when I could get moving with relative ease. I even slept on the heating pad last night and reapplied the cold pack on my way out the door, both with minimal effectiveness. Sitting down to write is the only normal part of my mornings these days.

Yesterday, we went to the beach, sitting in the back yard of 32-Gasparillo Island billionaires. We were with friends who shared a fried chicken picnic lunch. It was a great day, but moving in and out of the water was a chore for me. I spent a half-hour on the phone with the doctor, confirming the need for an additional prescription. I’m concerned about the upcoming long drive to Maine and being without my chiropractor for three weeks. Floating in the salty water should have taken the strain off my back and legs, but fighting the current and getting back to my beach chair was exhausting. I stumbled trying to get back on my feet, feeling like a Weeble-Wobble. I’m more than frustrated with this recovery process. 

Tonight, we go to the Englewood Moose for dinner and tomorrow evening we celebrate my son’s belated 50th at Pinchers. Monday morning we hit the road in our rental car with an overnight stay in Atlanta. Tuesday we’ll arrive in Indiana. As this Friday morning wears on, I should get back enough flexibility in my leg to go to the gym. Fortunately, the pain slowly subsides as I sit upright and let the cold pack numb my thigh. My wife is headed to the beach again, a luxury thanks to where we live, although I hadn’t been there for six long months until yesterday.  

The Olympic Opening Ceremonies are tonight from Paris. I’m, of course, not eligible to participate again due to steroid ingestions these past two weeks, but I wish my fellow Americans good luck. It will be good to have some fresh TV to watch, having caught up on all our current series including The Land of Women, Presumed Innocent, and House of the Dragon. Some of these finales will be put on hold until we get back home in three weeks. See you on the Road!