She was neither young nor old, though judging by her gait, she must have been ninety. Slightly bent at the waist, rigid and fragile, she tottered slowly across the walkway from the athletic center to the parking lot, stepping gingerly around snow drifts and leaning on the arm of her companion.
I recognized the walk immediately - the posture of someone in a great deal of pain. I have been there. I remember it well. Though I was a tad late getting back to the library after lunch, I did not mind waiting for her to cross. It is no fun being in pain, expending all your energy just to accomplish simple things like walking to the car. I suspect she was not even aware that there were cars lining up, wanting her to reach the other side so they could tear about their business.
How grateful I felt to be in the car and not dealing with the obvious physical distress of the one in the walkway. How fortunate she is to have a companion to help her, someone on whom she can lean. But I have to ask - what in the world was she doing at the gym! (I know, whirlpool, physical therapy on her own, other options I can't even think of).
God help us all stay healthy and not have to face overwhelming pain.
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