That time Martha became a pretzel

We were doing our weekly grocery shop. We parked in our usual spot, masked up, got our reusable bags and got the week’s worth of food pretty quickly. We came out only to discover the driver of a very large truck had parked next to us and closed off access to the driver’s side.

What to do? What to do? What to do? There was only one way in and that was to climb across the front passenger seat and slide into the drivers’s seat.

One of the three at the scene was too young to drive; one was too tall to fold themself comfortably in the space available. And then there was me.

I’m not an especially bendy person. Becoming a human pretzel is not what I am into.

But needs must. My car is not the old-fashioned kind where you can just slide across a smooth expanse of seating. No, my car is ultramodern, with a gear shift console in the middle, complete with sticking up type travel cup holders.

I took a look, channelled my inner cat, and figured out how to fold myself so I could shimmy, step, hop and slide into the driver’s seat.

I may not have been super graceful, or elegant, but I did it! As I dropped myself into the driver’s seat and then unfolded legs to reach the pedals, I felt relief, exhilaration, and most importantly, not a single twitch. Part of my brain said, oh wait until an hour later.

An hour came and went, the next day came and went, and then a week. All was normal!

I realized eight years of steady work, interrupted by ups and downs as life does, had its advantages. We may have different goals for our fitness path over time, but for me, functional fitness has been my number one goal.

To carry my groceries and not have my back complain; to walk a hill with my family without collapsing from tired lungs; to climb up and down stairs with household goods to help a family member move. And yes, to get into my car from the passenger side so I can drive home and not pull a muscle. Wellness level number eleventy thousand: Unlocked!

You can just call me MarthaFitAt60More.