By Staff
I am not proud of the fact I am often not as sympathetic as I should be when others are in pain.
I remember so well laughing at my ex one time when his back hurt.
It took him 15 minutes to get into the car. He kept putting up his leg, but just couldn't make it move over into the vehicle.
This week, I got a taste of how bad back pain can be.
I, too, spent about 15 minutes trying to get into the car to go to work.
I hated feeling that helpless.
I also have hardly ever used a sick day in the last five years.
But, to the doctor I went and almost wished it was to have another baby.
At least then I knew the pain would stop at the birth.
I now feel for all those people – and there are many – who suffer from chronic back pain.
Like a migraine, back pain keeps you from normal activity.
I couldn't bend over to feed the animals or pick something off the floor.
The simple principle of "lift with your knees" is one I will have to remember to prevent this from happening again.
I made it to the Cass County Fair last week.
Though everyone suffered from the high temperatures, the youngsters were busy with keeping their animals cool, cleaning pens and grooming them to show.
I was grateful to Bobbie Regan of Dowagiac.
She was a volunteer, along with her husband, driving golf carts around the fairgrounds.
She got a surprise when a big furry creature jumped on the back hitching a ride.
Dowagiac Area Federal Credit Union's mascot teased Regan and then kissed her passenger, Betty Woods of Edwardsburg.
Thanks should go to Johnie Rodebush, a Cass County Commissioner from Howard Township.
He may have saved a woman who had been dropped off in the morning and left on a bench.
She was unable to walk without help and she was planning to attend the truck pulls later that evening.
Rodebush checked on her and found she had no water or food as she was waiting for hours in the heat. He not only took care of her, he got her a front row seat for the show.
This Sunday, the Edwardsburg Historical Collection Museum will have a ribbon cutting ceremony, showing off the addition to the museum. If you haven't stopped in yet, please do. The museum isn't only for those who live in Edwardsburg. The exhibits are interesting and full of history of the region.
Again, it is through the efforts of many volunteers that things like the fair and the museum succeed.
Due to my back problems, I missed this year's Riverfest in Niles, but I understand it was fun as usual.
It is good to have those who do things for other people in our midst.
Instead of being a complainer, think about becoming a volunteer, in some capacity.
By the way, the blood banks are still dangerously low, as are the food banks.
With the price of gas, everyone is tightening their belt and giving less.
But the needs are still with us.
If I rambled more than usual today, sorry, I'm on drugs.