A Whole New Link

I have hesitated telling anyone about my secret for the past month or so. I wanted to wait until my confidence level was higher, until I felt like I could trust you, until I felt like you could trust me. We have an interesting relationship, you and I. I think we have spent some quality time together. these past few months have been wonderful. I feel like I know you so much better, and I can share things like this with you. Well, here it goes. Arthritis has set in. My name is Brandon, I am 35 and I have arthritis. It's in my knee. How's that fit on a scale from 1 to crappy? Pretty high. My knee was fun while it lasted. We played together a lot. I washed him, kept him warm, slapped him only a couple of times a day. We ran 500 miles together last year, did a marathon. We had run 150 miles together this year. Somewhere in all the training, I guess we just stopped communicating. Apparently he decided it was time for a change. He didn't like running much anymore. I asked him why he wanted to change, he said, "More Rock, Less Talk." I slapped him hard. Then he said, "I wanted you to feel much older." I guess that is acceptable. So I do. So I kneed him. We haven't spoken since then.

My doctor indicated the next step was a bionic knee. Just kidding. He actually said, "I am looking at this x-ray, and I am not looking at the knee of a 35 year old male." I said, "That's really wierd, so that's what a really bad shoulder looks like?" He slapped me. He said, "You have really bad cartilage. Do you like to bike?" I said, "Oh boy, do I ever! From now on I love biking!", because I think that's what you say when someone says you are breaking down from the bottom up. When a doctor tells you you're old, and you don't really feel like it, but your body is telling you different, I guess you will say anything or do anything to try to stop the tide. But I make it sound really much worse than it is. He told me that if I stop running and bike instead, I will buy my knee a lot of time. A lot of time, meaning, hopefully I will only have a knee replacement when I am 65 instead of whenever. And I do love biking. And now, I love it even more. In fact, I love it more each day. Better still, my knee feels better. He's starting to talk to me again, I feel like I am starting to understand him. Yes, we even joke from time to time. So things are good. Yes, I bought some tights. I am comfortable with that. And, I bought a new bike. Here it is.

Except mine is what they call Patriot Blue. And so I have become a biker. I do it everyday. I even keep a journal. You can follow me on the link in my links section titled Bike Journal. My user name is bodiddley.

So from here on out, we may talk of things having to do with biking as well. And let me give you this little bit of advice. When a part of you is trying to tell you something, don't just slap it around. Listen, even if it isn't something you want to hear, or it may be hard for you to hear. Better communication will perhaps save a limb. That's much better than have one go out on you. And thank you, for letting me go out on one.