JIM “PAPPY” MOORE: A Moving Experience

It has been a long time since I made a real move. I learned one big thing this time. A-G-E matters. When I was younger, my body could do anything I wanted it to do. Not any more. Thus my Number One Rule: “Jim, don’t hurt yourself.”

As I have gotten older the things I could do changed. A good example was my buying of bottled water. Forever I would buy 40 bottles in a bunch. Then one day I realized 40 bottles was about 16 bottles too many. I cut back to the 24 bottles in a bunch. Even those can be a little testy on my lower back.

Knowing when to get others to do bigger jobs was key to keeping the health I have. I am in great shape for a man of 75, weighing in at 174 pounds and having a Body Mass Index in the 24 range. But that does not change the fact that my joints, my soft tissues, my discs in my back, and my advancing arthritis are a factor in my ability to lift and move objects.

I hired professional movers and they were outstanding. They got everything moved and set up. They did not empty the many containers I had, however.

The thing about filling containers you do not have to personally load or unload is you forget you are the one who has to move them around and unpack them once you are moved. THAT is where I miscalculated. I ended up with huge containers full of stuff, and getting them unpacked and into drawers, and closets, and other places became a real chore.

On the sixth day of that unloading and putting up items from containers the inevitable back, hip and thigh strain suddenly appeared. My body said to me in no uncertain terms “SHUT IT DOWN!”

I shut it down. I limped into the bathroom and started the process of attending to my aches and pains. Long, hot showers several times a day helped. So did those patches which have Lanacane to treat and ease muscle pain. Aspirin and Ibuprofen helped. Drinking lots of water helped. Sleep and rest helped.

It has been three days since my total work stoppage. Hopefully, I learned my lesson. I have to treat this body better if I am going to make 95 years of age.