I was lying in bed feeling sorry for myself last night and thought about the people in my "Better Balance" class and how they deal with the limitations of pain and aging.  I know what Cleo would say.  She is a lovely, gracious woman with a walker in about her late seventies.  She just got out of a two day stay in the hospital for a urinary track infection.  She was glad she was around people who cared about her and didn't let her go to her apartment to lie down when her symptoms presented (they are different for us old folks).  She is sweet and kind and counts her blessings.  She doesn't lament that she has to use a walker; she is glad she can walk.

So what if I am almost housebound.  I have a house--one that is cozy, warm in the winter and cool in the summer.  So what that there are things I can't do well.  I have family and friends who help me and sufficient funds to hire help when they can't.  I have lots of "cans" and "haves" in my life and really very few "can'ts" and "have nots".

I've always thought that I'd like to be gracious and grow old gracefully.  I want to be like Cleo when I grow up.