Okay, I’ll admit it.  I turned 65 last month.  It was a bittersweet birthday in that I reached a milestone of old age, but one which saves me money (thank you, Medicare).  The day itself foreshadowed the future.  My boyfriend had bought tickets to Elton John’s Farewell Tour concert in Tampa in celebration — but Sir Elton became ill the night before and postponed his concert.

This is where it rubs.  I am at an age when the best laid plans fall awry.  I even missed Christmas (more about that in another blog).  I make plans with friends and suddenly one is sick, one needs to care for someone else, another has to babysit grandchildren or I myself am out of commission.  Nothing is for certain, even on the day of the event.  That really aggravates me — I am someone who wants everything choreographed ahead of time without any surprises — what’s that old Yiddish saying?, “Man plans and God laughs.”  He must have been chortling a lot in 2018!

For half this year I have experienced increasing pain to the point I cannot bicycle, dragon boat race or even walk through a mall. (Anyone who has ever seen my clothes closet knows the loss of that last item is a serious indication of pain!)  Last year I got an anterior hip replacement, recovered well and returned to my normal activities.  This spring, periodic pain when bending over and straightening up foreshadowed what was to come.  In July the pain began in earnest.  Month after month possible diagnoses were tossed out for consideration, with subsequent tests and procedures.  Finally it was determined the artificial hip surgery had failed.

So my shiny new anterior hip ball and stem were removed and new parts installed from the posterior side of things.  This approach cuts through more of the body and takes longer to heal.  I won’t be able to bend more than 90 degrees for what seems like forever.  Forget about my resuming normal activities until a quarter of the year is gone!

There were some wonderful and amazing memories made in 2018 that I wouldn’t give up for the world, but with my hip issues dominating the second half of the year, I’m so, so ready to begin a new year.  In with the New!