a walk in the park
This morning I took part in the local Arthritis Foundation chapter’s fundraising walk. For the first mile or so, a light rain was falling, but the temperature hovered around 60, so the rain was pleasant. Those of us who have some form of arthritis were given blue "hero" hats. I must say, I felt a little silly about being designated a "hero" merely because of a medical diagnosis. But what the heck.
All of us blue-hatted ones were asked to give our name and make a comment, if desired. A tiny 29-year-old woman (who looked like a very slightly built 13-year-old) told us what kind of arthritis she had–something pretty awful, in the scheme of things–but remarked that she just keeps going. A very self-possessed, adorable 6-year-old said that she was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis (I think) at age 4. Then there were several of us who’ve been around long enough to have develped osteoarthritis.
Such occasions make me realize that my own rather trivial health concerns are–no pun intended–a walk in the park compared with the problems others must bear.
