One Dad & a Truck

Last fall, Claire moved into her new condo after completing several improvements. She enlisted family and friends to help her paint her bedroom and a wall in her living room. She also replaced the floor with luxury vinyl plank (LVP) in her kitchen and living room prior to moving in.

At the same time, Morgan’s lease was up on his apartment in Germantown. Being in public service with wide fluctuations in his schedule, he decided to move a little closer to me so that I could more readily assist him when he needed help with his faithful dog, Beau.

To save a few bucks on the truck rental, I had Claire and Morgan coordinate their moves for the same day in late October. My loathing of moving is well known. My goal was to bite the bullet and get both moves done on the same day and get back to my daily routine. I rented a truck and vehemently stressed to both that I wanted to simply physically move, not pack their stuff.

When the day arrived, we loaded Claire’s belongings first and made an uneventful transition of her furniture and possessions. We stopped by my house to load up a bedroom set from my parents that Morgan thought would work well in his new apartment. Once loaded, I went to get in the truck. As I stepped up into the truck, I heard a familiar snap from my right knee. I fell to the driveway knowing with certainty that I had just torn the meniscus in my other knee.

It could not have happened at a worse time. We had yet to load the furniture from Morgan’s old apartment on the 2^nd floor and move it to his new apartment. When we made a short pit stop to drop off the bed on the way to his old apartment, it became apparent that I was not going to be of much further help on the move. I could not walk without a pronounced limp and certainly could not lift furniture and navigate stairs, ramps, or corners.

It was very fortunate that my neighbors, Peter and Louann, stepped up to assist with the remainder of the move. I am not sure what we would have done without Peter moving couches, bed frames, or mattresses. I stood by helplessly holding doors while Morgan and Peter moved the bulk of his belongings.

The next day I drove myself to the Orthopedic clinic for the official diagnosis and scheduled an MRI to determine the extent of damage. Like my other knee, I had torn the meniscus completely through. Unlike the left knee, this one could be corrected through surgery, however, the recovery from the surgery was the same as for a complete knee replacement. This included no weight bearing on the knee for several weeks. Given the impact on my ability to drive, I chose to forgo the surgery and just wait for the eventual knee replacement at some point in the future.

After several weeks of no hiking or pickleball, I resumed normal activities. I can still feel a dull throb in my knee . I question whether it is wise for me to continue putting so much stress on my knees by continuing to hike long distances. Perhaps I need to moderate my activity or find a new outlet that entails less stress on my knees.

When I began online dating, one of the qualities I looked for in profiles was an active lifestyle. Cathy met that criteria as she loves to both hike and cycle. She began cycling several years ago and it has become an integral part of her life. She is now passionate about cycling and is on the bike trails and her bike club outings every chance she gets. After much reflection, I decided to take up cycling and cut back my hiking to prolong the need for knee replacements as long as possible. I will continue to hike the Ice Age Trail to segment hike the entire trail someday, but cycling is much lower impact and I am at peace with my decision.

Everyone that knows me realizes that I rarely do anything halfway. I purchased a Trek Domane AL 5 road bike, Shimano Pedals and shoes, and all the other accessories to look the part. On the first nice spring afternoon, I hoped on the bike and rode 20 some miles down and back on the Bugline Trail. It went relatively well. The new clip in system on my shoes and pedals took a little getting used to, but I slowly became accustomed to them and am proud to report I have only fallen a few times so far.

This summer you will see me cycling and training for my next major adventure. Cathy and I will be travelling later this summer to cycle, hike, and kayak across the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. Our travels will take us off the beaten track to discover Greece’s wild side in this rugged peninsula of farmland, mountains, forest and coastline.

Once again, I will be pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone as I learn a new hobby and travel very far from my home. I am fortunate my family and friends always support and encourage me when I propose some of these impulsive travel adventures.

That said, my moving days are done. One Dad & a Truck has officially shut down all operations. From this point forward, I will be outsourcing any moving duties to paid professionals in hopes of avoiding further injuries. I will transition a portion of my activity from hiking to cycling in hopes of causing less stress on my knees.

Καλά ταξίδια ((Ka-LA tak-SEE-dee-a) and Επίλεξε τη χαρά (Eh-PEE-lek-seh tee cha-RA). Good travels and Choose Joy!