Invincibility: "On!"

I am indestructible.

I never get sick.

I never get hurt.

I never grow old.

I'm twenty two forever.

Don't you forget it.

I used to think that way. I really did. As silly as it sounds. Now I didn't literally walk around chanting that mantra to myself or anything. But it pretty much sums up how I lived.

Then I got old, and not so much indestructible. The lingering mental state was still there however.

When I decided not to work out in the offseason, and proceed to put on 25 more pounds to boot before starting my senior year of high school football; should I really have been surprised when I got injured in the first game? I got thrown down trying to tackle the ball carrier, then piled on by a couple of Jackson HS guys. My right leg was folded up under me, and I oddly hurt the achilles tendon area, even though it was in the contraction direction at the time. Extreme contraction, but still. Perhaps some smart doctor type can explain it someday.

That was my first injury, the first chink in my impenetrable armor. But after I healed up, I ignored it.

I still hardly ever got sick, and when I did, it was so mild as to be laughable. This would stay true for a few more years.

I continued to be a casual sportsman, while not being even remotely in shape. Tempting fate, as it were.

Three days before I was to start my first real 'career' job; I smashed up my left ankle. I was playing volleyball in the Lansing Corporate Challenge. I went up for the ball at the net, and came down tangled up with the guy on the other side of the net who was doing the same thing. Rolled my left ankle over, to a chorus of snaps, crackles, and pops.

And so started my glorious career as a professional aircraft mechanic. With a heavy limp.

I'll go ahead and shorten this narrative: Came down with a mystery two week illness upon my return from Saudi Arabia in 1996. Gifting me with hospitalization grade fever, and delirium.

Working for Pratt & Whitney saw me branded with a four inch scar on the back of my skull courtesy of a 45 degree cut drain tube on the bottom of our Boeing 720 testbed, and seven staples.

With three kids added to the wife I was seeing more of being sick. Colds and flus seemed to visit me every year.

As I got older, and I approached 400 lbs, my body gave me random aches and pains. Almost as a reminder of mortality and bad living.

I slowly started to change my life for the better. I haven't drank alcohol since 2008, never had a smoking habit to kick, so that was god at least.

After my kidney stone in 2010, I switched to drinking only water, quite a bit of it, every day. Some milk, of course with my ritual bowl of cereal every morning.

Went on my diet, and did well. Have lost about 90 lbs since April of 2011 as I write this.

The last week or so has been hell on my diet though.

I fell down at work getting off a ladder, and I fractured my left patella. My kneecap, because until last week, I didn't know off the top of my head either.

Now I'm confined to mostly sitting on my butt until it aches it seems, either moronically surfing the internet, or watching Netflix until my eyes bleed.

I think I've finally decided I'm not invincible after all

Far from it. I think I might actually be just like everyone else. Mighty big of me to finally admit that I guess.

If it still sounds like I've had a decent go of things as far as being healthy, despite the chronic obesity, you'd be right. Until now, I've never broken a bone. I've never had surgery. Things are definitely still favorable.

I just need to remind myself that I'm mortal sometimes

Don't we all need that reminder on occasion?

Just lie to me and say yes, dammit.

Cheers to continued semi-invincibility