Steep Steps and no railings....

 

And so, a new year begins…  Welcome to 2022. Are you as excited as I am? (Wish there were an impressive emoji with rolling eyes.)  Never one to keep New Year’s Resolutions, I discontinued the process of making them many years ago. Personal experience has taught me that such resolutions only induce feelings of failure, and who needs to self-inflict those?  Not me. I have determined that chipping away at barriers and trudging, step-by-step (no matter how steep) is way more satisfying and productive in the long run. Plus – the process is spread more evenly throughout the year that way and whatever the plan/project is then seems more doable. More and more – I like to take my time. Then – there is the fact that the past couple of years have been filled with steep steps and all of us had to slow down a bit and take our time. It has been difficult sometimes to navigate in what has become our world … for now.

On a personal level this attitude of taking my time works physically for me as well.  I must admit I am slowing down a bit and… am totally comfortable with that (as if I had a choice).  Case in point is the issue of literally carrying things up and down stairs with no longer trust-worthy knees. (Artificial knees are great, but they don't work the same way as real knees. Can you relate -- with real or replacement parts?) Back to the steps concept. It is twelve steps to my basement from my kitchen.  I have railings on both sides of the stairway.  I would like to say that this is only precautionary, but truthfully, I rely on both railings on a regular basis. Such reliance doesn’t work well when trying to transport items up and down the stairway unless you hang them around your neck. Picture that. I have even taken to storing canning jars and Christmas decorations on the main floor of my house – just to make things easier. Guests might think that a stack of wooden boxes or the occasional lidded basket are decorative.  No.  Each is filled with holiday cherished odds and ends or other “stuff” that used to dwell in the basement.  My basement gets emptier every year.  Most of what is down there now belongs to my adult children. Anyway – convenient, main floor storage simplifies my life and helps keep me feeling independent.

When all else fails though, I can always count on my Grands to help out. They handle stairs well. Everyone likes to feel useful, right?  Plus, I pay well if the job is a real time consumer.  So – with all this in mind – I want to share a recent observation with you that called to mind days of yore when I, too, could fly down the stairs without hanging onto anything and without the now ever-present fear of falling.  I distinctly remember doing this when attending elementary school in an old two-story building in which the stairs were so worn that there were rather deep and impressive indentations from years of heavy traffic.  For those of you who live where I do, you may remember doing the same in the now demolished Wright Street School. It was a grand old building.  The stairs, and actually the whole building, had a certain appealing “character”.  I particularly loved the large wooden desks.

To get to the point though – recently I needed large, heavy, awkward items moved from the basement to the living room so … I called upon my local grandson who is always ready and willing to do whatever I ask.  I watched in awe as he literally flew down a full flight of stairs as only a strong healthy kid can do – his size 13s barely skimming the steps as he descended.  And he certainly was not holding onto railings – on either side.  I tell you - it was impressive!  I must admit that I was a little envious of the ability and the ease with which he moved. He also did in two trips what would have taken me at least seven… and he did this in much less time and without a dolly. (I keep thinking I should get one of those.) Anyway …

I have been striving to get into better shape now for 30 weeks and have made some progress, but I have to tell you – I will never again do stairs like he does.  I can think of days of yesterday and remember, but it’s not quite the same.  Hope he appreciates his ability to move so easily and with such confidence. Some day he may look back as I do now and remember. 

Sometimes it is easier to look back than to look forward.  I am okay with that too. It’s been a rough few years… for the entire planet. Maybe 2022 will be better. (Could use that rolling eye emoji here as well.) Whatever the future holds, I do hope that it doesn’t involve a lot of "steep steps". Aren’t we all tired of them especially when there are no railings?