Well, I was up this morning with my coffee for a change. I set the timer for 7 o’clock and it stays hot for 2 hours. That’s a pretty big window that allows for lazing in bed if that seems the thing to do or getting up and hacking into the morning amid the usual bodily aches and stiffness that seem to be the “normal” for me these days.

I keep thinking that regular exercise and stretching will get me beyond the hurting phase of physical training as it did when I was younger but nowadays it just seems to aggravate my muscles and joints all the more. Alas, I stay with the regimen believing, for the time being, that it keeps me from hitting that inevitable slippery slope of immobility and even senility.

I am reminded, of course, of Newton’s First Law of Motion – an integral part of every waking moment. An object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by an external force. That force is, many times, an act of raw will. Picture me getting out of bed in the morning and taking those initial steps and you have a picture of Newton’s idea of some “external force” in action. Not a pretty sight. On second thought, don’t picture that.

But that is the battle of old age isn’t it? When I was young the battle seemed remote as I enjoyed abundant strength and elasticity. Now, fettered by waning physical powers and a diminishing range of movement I face my Nemesis daily as though an old and cantankerous friend.

Moving does help so I’ll keep moving. I feel my second cup of dark roast beckoning.
Sounds like an “external force” to me. Here I go. I’m moving!