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What do you
think when you reflect on how your body has withstood the ravages of time? I
thought, and still think, that I am in great shape. I walk upright, stride
along without shuffling, am able to complete almost any endeavor I want to take
on, and feel pretty good most of the time. When I have to fill out one of those
questionnaires, I always check the second box for “Very Good,” rather than the
first box for “Excellent.” Beyond that, I never gave a lot of thought to my
body and how it’s changed over the years.
My viewpoint altered just recently
when I resorted to massage to see if that would help alleviate the back pain I’ve
suffered since last fall. I was surprised by the information I gave to the
masseuse and it was just the high points of my medical history. It had been a
very long time since I’d looked back because I’ve been with my health care organization
for more than fifty years and my medical history is all on file.
This
reiteration to the masseuse didn’t cover my entire medical history, but it made
me think about everything my body has undergone since birth. I was amazed when
I spent a bit of time thinking about how my body has changed due to a variety
of experiences during my seventy-eight years. When I finished inputting
information into my “Medical History” document over the course of more than a week,
it was four pages long. I was astounded.
I included every experience that
in some way changed my body whether it was a hip surgery, tooth extraction,
giving birth, or cancer treatment. Now that I’ve completed that history (or at
least I think it’s complete) I found myself astonished at how this poor old
body has managed to regenerate and/or accommodate so many alterations over time. I
feel like my body is truly a miracle, one which I hope will continue to serve
me well in my coming years.
Originally, I planned to post
this history on my blog, but decided it was too long and maybe too personal. I decided
instead to share only the information in this blog with the idea it might
encourage you, dear reader, to look back and become amazed at how your own body
has withstood the ravages of time. Depending on your own genetic inheritance and
medical history, you just might end up reflecting on the miracle that is your
own body.