Last Saturday, I went to DH’s 20th high school reunion and had a rockin time. He hails from the Shallow South (as opposed to the Deep South) and the deejay put on something that I’d never heard before, something that was evidently called “flat-footing.” Or, as they say in the vernacular, “flat-footin.”
A bunch of ladies swarmed the dance floor when the song came on (“Honky-Tonk Man”) and I got pulled into the mix. I had to stand there for a second or two as someone demonstrated the basic step to me, which involved taking your foot and weaving it in the air in a figure-8 motion. Seemed easy enough so I tried it. And fun was had by all…
…until the next day. I woke up with severe pain on the side of my right knee the likes of which I’d never felt before. My right knee is already pretty banged up from years of punishing impact on the aerobics and martial arts floors, but the pain has always been to this one spot right on my kneecap. I think it’s my meniscus. It makes me hobble down staircases.
This side-of-knee pain is totally new and I’m not exactly sure if it’s damage to the tendon or the joint or the ligament. I’ve also developed this throbbing pain on my left hip. Ah, the travails of aging! I am no longer 16, dangit! This fall I’m planning to take on an extensive physical fitness routine involving two dance classes (Street Jazz/Hip Hop, Ballet), Martial Arts (Kickboxing) and intense cardio workouts (Indoor Cycling). Will my knee hold up? With plenty of R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation), I’m hoping (knock wood) it will.
