Mexico Agrees With Me

I can't believe how much stronger and more energetic I feel this year than I have the last couple of years. As I was climbing the pyramids in Pelanque last week and again in Becan on the way here I remembered how the exact same activities last year had me sitting down to recover at many points throughout the ruins. I pretended I was sitting to change lenses, re-tie my shoes or to get a better view but the truth is, I was experiencing a pounding heart rate, headaches and shortness of breath. It did not stop me but it did make me reflect on my own mortality.

This year it is like I am a new man! I can walk three or four times as long as I could last year and climb a pyramid in one go without wondering where my next breath is coming from even though I am still packing the same weight. Two factors that may be responsible are 1) the Cortisone shot I got in my long ago shattered ankle that has nearly eliminated the chronic pain that has been my constant companion for too many years, and 2) the fact that we just spent over a month in San Miguel De Allende and it's 6,400 foot altitude. The heavy walking we did in SMA has greatly increased my breathing efficiency.

Whatever it was, and probably it is a combination of the two, I am so much more energetic this year. I am no longer dreading my upcoming 65th birthday! Life is good!