COUNTING MY BLESSINGS!

      

2026 started off much like the many years before it. The first five months shot by, as usual, with Paula and I continuing our care of Khai four days a week – and LOVING it!!! He, Rylynn, and Rynn have brought us immeasurable joy and delight!!!

Up to this point, I had been sailing on smooth, calm waters, enjoying the fruits of my labors staying fit. My “honeymoon” life appeared to be continuing without interruption.

Then came May!!! My normal routine of karate every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and exercise every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday has been substantially interrupted by a neck/shoulder injury that has plagued me to this very day! I tried pushing my exercise routine to new heights, and THAT was a mistake!! Ever since then – and it’s been about 5 weeks – I’ve had this pain that hasn’t gone away. I’ve even stopped exercising for the last 4 weeks!

As if THAT wasn’t bad enough - and also in May - I woke up one morning and found a TON of ants on our kitchen counter!!! I was in a frenzy to kill as many as I could before they ran off. I also tried to find out where they were coming from. I saw a bunch by our kitchen door, so I opened it and discovered a trail coming from a high opening just above the steps that lead down to our patio.

Wanting to eliminate as many as I could, I quickly grabbed my ladder that was in the patio. I placed it on a step and leaned it on the right door jamb, since the ants were coming out from the right side of the doorway. I quickly climbed up and sprayed ant poison around the whole area. Then I noticed that ants had also started making their way across the top of the door toward the left side. Wanting to stop their advancement, I shifted my weight to the left side of the ladder in order to reach them.

The quick shift of my weight pulled the ladder away from the door jamb, and it started to twist to the right and fall off the steps toward the patio floor -- WITH ME ON IT!!! Just as it crashed loudly to the floor I somehow managed to step off the ladder and miraculously ended up on my feet, the momentum of the fall driving me toward the opposite wall and our glass sliding door 18’ away! Thankfully I was able to stop just BEFORE I crashed into it.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, me bewildered and amazed that I survived this frightful ordeal ON my feet!!! Feeling blessed and with adrenalin pulsing through my body, I didn’t notice that I had injured my right foot and leg on the fall! Thankfully those injuries have begun to heal and are much better now!!

I have had flashes in my mind of what COULD have happened, and they scare me to death! I could have gotten seriously injured in the fall, might have had to call an ambulance, possibly surgery to set broken bones, weeks and weeks of physical therapy and rehab. Worse of ALL – I might have being confined to a wheelchair and told that my karate days were OVER!!!

I cannot stop from thanking my lucky stars, and am totally convinced that my guardian angel this day was my karate training!!! To fall from a ladder off the steps would most likely cause serious injury, but I believe I was spared because of my training in staying centered, low, and balanced. Our twisting and spinning exercises and techniques definitely allowed me to remain upright throughout the fall. And get THIS – I have not missed a single karate practice since the accident – although it HASN’T been pretty!!!

This lesson, however, has taught me that I need to slow down and think things through BEFORE taking action. I cannot say that this has been a bad year – maybe just a BAD MONTH??? Hopefully the rest of the year will NOT be so “exciting”! Who knows???

6/19/26