Older and more fragile

If I ever had any doubts that my body is aging, they have now been laid to rest. I recently joined an intermurral volleyball league. So far we have had three practices, two games and tons of fun. However, in my four years as a "defensive specialist" on the varsity volleyball team-- not to mention softball and track-- I don't recall my forearms (or any part of me) ever looking like this...

I realize I am twenty years older now but come on! Aren't they nasty? Ya should have seen them a few days ago. Fyi, it only hurts when the ball touches it. Therefore, contrary to what my competitive nature urges me to do, I am currently concentrating on my serve rather than digging up every ball that starts to hit the floor. Did I forget to mention the fact that I am the only Army wife on an otherwise all-Navy team (thanks to my friend Monica). What has happened to me? Go Army! Beat Navy!

Mom, before you ask... I am keeping an eye on it to make sure it heals and isn't a sign of anything else-- and also, yes I am going to keep playing because it's fun and I enjoy it.

I am not the only one in the family who seems to be more fragile now. Yesterday, while helping clean up the post-dinner dishes, R bumped his head on the corner of an open cabinet. His instant reaction to the pain was to blame the cabinet and punch it shut. Well, in doing so he broke some bones in his right hand above the pinky. The doc informed us that his injury is known as a "boxer's fracture". So, he'll be in a cast-type thing for about six weeks and we'll find out later today whether he'll need to have surgery to prevent malformation of the bone during the recovery period. It's okay, you can laugh. We sure have. After it happened I couldn't help but ask him, "Which hurts worse, your head or your hand?" You can imagine his reply.

(I guess we'll have to keep his hand wrapped in cling wrap during our vacation at the beach in Thailand next month.)