Middle Age: 1 Sheep: 0

You know...I remember a time when I could skootch down and pick up a fallen notebook from the floor to assist a student and not tweak my tuchas. I don't want to brag or anything but I was skootching at an almost professional level. Sports Illustrated wanted to do a full article on my ability to hunker down on the floor and speak to small children or retrieve lost bottle caps, but I opted to keep it low profile. I know I said in yesterday's post that I hurt my back, but I was just being polite. I pulled that nice big muscle in my hienie. For what it's worth, the pain has spread both north and south so I actually do have back pain at this writing.

I also remember those halcyon days when the decision to wear a turtleneck on a chilly, rainy morning that later turned out to be on the mild side didn't morph into a mistake of epic proportions. Sure, I might have been a tiny bit uncomfortable. But it was nowhere near the drama of suffering through the extra fabric as my internal temperature gauge fluctuated wildly according to some hormonally managed system that I neither understand nor control.

For that matter, how is it possible that I can remember days of yore, but couldn't seem to recall the fact that I was in need of toilet paper when I stopped off at the store on the way home today? It was certainly enough of an issue this morning that it should have registered on some level. Should have...but didn't. Ask me what I wore to the Huey Lewis and The News concert in '82 and I can go into excruciating detail. (I looked adorable in all my twenty-something cuteness) Yet, somehow, the immediate and pressing need for toilet paper never even made the top ten in terms of "important things to never, ever forget."

I'm old. I creak. I have a hienie pull. And there's the toilet paper thing...

But, I guess you gotta look at the big picture. There is really only one alternative to aging. And I'm thinking that it will involve laying down and wearing the same shoes for all eternity. Time marches on, for sure. But I'm stumbling along with it.

My aged fingers have spent this week knitting along on a Feather And Fan Scarf. I snagged some of the less-than-sockable sock yarn from the stash for this project. It has been a sort of fun pattern and I've decided to give myself over fully to the enjoyment of it all. This despite the fact that I may have underestimated the amount of yarn I'll need to actually complete a scarf of any usable length. Truth be told, I really didn't think I would like knitting it and sort of took it on to get it out of my system. I figured I'd give up on it quickly as I generally don't knit anything that has a lacy look to it. Who knew?

It seems, with age, comes wisdom and maybe even a little patience. I'll be darned. I guess I'm just all bustin' at the seams with the wisdom at this point.

I got so much wisdom going on that it just pushed that little mental sticky note that said, "buy toilet paper" right off the desk that is my mind.

SA