Things you think about while on the exercise bike at the rehab center

I've been going to physical therapy at a local rehab center for almost a year. I had back surgery 6 months ago but still have some residual pain and numbness in my leg and foot, so my fabulous physical therapist, Jackie, has been trying to get me back in shape.

Since I live in a community where there are a lot of seniors, the average age of the people who I see at pt every day is probably 80, probably because we, as a population, are living longer, but also because we all have Medicare and supplemental insurance and can afford to go-a hot issue in this election.
Anyway, while on the bike, I started wondering what people there were thinking about while pedaling away, since most seniors don't take i-pods to listen to while at physical therapy, if they even know what they are. Are you thinking about your worries, are you making mental lists of all the things you need to do, are you thinking about your family, friends or world peace or what?


I asked the lady next to me and she said she was thinking about a stupid, hurtful thing a "friend" had said to her 2 years ago that she had voiced for the first time that morning in a group. She said her "friend" was too stupid to know she had said something stupid and didn't think it was hurtful, which led into a discussion about the difference between an ignorant person, a stupid person, a book smart person and a people smart person, and how you always remember the hurtful things people say to you forever, because they eat at your stomach, heart and brain. Just think of some of the stupid, insensitive things people say when making condolence calls or when they hear that someone is seriously ill.  Been there, done that.

She said that now that she has actually voiced the words, she could put it behind her and that maybe now her stomach would stop hurting, so I told her I was happy for her that she could do that.  She said the "friend's" husband had called her to invite her over for dinner, but she declined.  She said she had forgiven her but it sounded to me like she is still going to need some more time or that she has decided to exclude someone stupid from her life.

My son is always getting after me to be careful about what I say on Facebook and how to reply to things privately instead of publicly-something I am still trying to get the hang of, and I try every day to be less judgmental, but if I offend anyone with something I say, I guess you can either call me on it or ignore me. Just don't let it eat on you. If there is anything I have learned in this past year dealing with illness, mind-numbing pain, having your life change because of things beyond your control, and knowing you can never live the life you used to live, it is not to let things people say eat at you.  Life is too short.


Still, I guess the lesson is that you have to engage your brain before you put your mouth in gear.