When we returned from fishing, Karen and Vanessa were in the stall area harnessing Little Bit to a fancy two-wheeled cart. Wuzzie stood quietly tied next to his training cart. His harness was hanging on a hook behind him.
"Wanna learn how to drive, Ben?" Karen chirped. "Since you can't ride these days, maybe you want to be the whip and drive the donkey." She introduced me to each harness piece and showed me how to hitch Wuzzie to his cart. The little guy was very patient with me. I found out that he loves sugar cubes.
We both got through the harness lesson, and before I knew it, I was following Karen up the Fire Road in a cart, behind a furry gray donkey that bares the Blood of Allah - black markings that form a cross - on his back. This would be fun to do while my knee is healing, I thought.
Karen invited me back to drive again, and Dan told me he had some better fishing holes on the Independence River where I could rest my knee.
Vanessa thought this was great. She liked the refresher course in harnessing, and she could ride the trails with Karen while I went fishing. The recovery period wouldn't be that bad, after all.
Positive Energy
As we get older and our bodies begin showing age, a positive attitude is a great force of energy. Be patient, and heal correctly. Look at the time as a vacation. It is possible to enjoy your recovery period.
Attitude is everything. Explore an interest; make new friends. I found that with a good attitude, positive things come into your life, and your body will heal faster.
At this writing, I'm 20 days into my "new, old knee." I've been released from physical therapy, but warned about the relationship between proper healing and knee replacements. I still have a couple more weeks to enjoy my little break from life with Wuzzie and the trout in the Independence River.
