It’s not necessary for you to believe what I’m about to tell you, because the truth remains even if you don’t believe it. You can’t fool Mother Nature by ignoring or denying her. I never meant to fool anyone, especially Mother Nature.
The first weird feat was finding my ball point pen. I was on a trip. I don’t remember where since that pales in comparison to what happened that day. I needed to write a note to myself and reached in my jacket pocket where I usually carry my pen and it wasn’t there. I looked around the hotel room, then I checked the bathroom and ransacked my suitcase. I asked my wife Lona if she had seen it. No again. No pen. Maybe it was in my backpack, or perhaps in a pocket of my clothes in the closet. No luck. It had to be somewhere, but where?
I was baffled all day. I know I used it the day before. Also, it was one of my favorite pens (I collect them), so I was upset to have lost this one. When I took my shoes off getting ready for my night’s sleep the mystery was solved, my first extraordinary feat. My pen was in my left shoe! That was where it rested ,unnoticed, all day! And I never felt a thing! Can you believe it?
A year or so later when I had just finished my weekly session of Pilates (pen or no pen, I need to stay in shape), I went to the locker where I kept my shoes, watch, glasses and such while I exercised. After reassembling myself, so to speak, I went to my car to go home and checked what time it was. Where was my wristwatch? I know I had put it on that morning and remember I placed it in the locker. That’s where it must be. I went back and checked. No watch. I reached deep into my pockets. Still no watch. Had someone stolen it? I really doubted that. At this point, Lona was having her exercise session, so I told her about the mystery.
“Do you have idea where my watch might be,” I asked her in desperation. Had I given it to her to hold while I exercised? Maybe it was in her purse, however I didn’t remember giving it to her, and I’d never done that before Pilates.
“Did you check your sneakers?” she asked, as if that was one of the most logical places my watch might be.
“Are you kidding?”
“No,” she answered.
I removed my sneakers and…oh, my god…there it was, this time in my right sneaker! Another extraordinary feat.
Just one more tale, also true, like the other two. I got dressed this morning, had breakfast and went downstairs to my study to write. When I looked down as I descended the stairs (I do that regularly now, so I don’t trip and break my neck or something else – age is a messy thing), what did I see? A slipper on my left foot, but only a sock on my right foot! I never felt that one slipper was missing, which I found under the kitchen table. I could have walked around all day without ever noticing anything strange. Feat number three: one shoe on, one off. So what? It made no difference to me.
What’s the answer: Neuropathy, numb feet (dumb feet would be more accurate). What a strange way to accomplish great feats of discovery.
I have neuropathy in/on my feet too. What used to be pain is now just numbness. Our reality is weird to be sure. At 81, I am just grateful I wake in the morning and can choose to read, create quilts for others and be a viable leader in our homeowners association or in the township where we live.