I drive an old vehicle. Actually, a 2006 Jeep Liberty I inherited from my father. It has been a very good vehicle, as evidenced by the fact that it has over 250,000 miles on it. Hard to believe that I've driven this Jeep far enough for a trip to the moon. I know this Jeep won't last forever. But, just like the man who fell out of a top floor window of a high rise building and said to himself, as he passed by each floor, “So far, so good.” Actually, I've developed a bit of a plan in dealing with my aging vehicle. I have noticed in recent weeks that parts are wearing out and having to be replaced at an ever-increasing pace. The way I see it, I am slowly getting a new vehicle, one part at a time.
On a hopefully unrelated subject, my left knee has been a source of great irritation as of late. A few weeks ago while covering a basketball game, I stepped awkwardly up onto a row of bleachers and immediately felt my knee “pop.” For a little while, a simple ace bandage seemed to take care of any problem that may have decided to linger on. Then, suddenly, that slight irritation turned into full-on, all-out pain. It has not been a fun couple of weeks for me and my knee. I finally decided that some medical attention was in order and made an appointment to see a doctor. The appointment isn't until next week, so I don't know what the remedy will be. Hopefully, it won't involve any new “spare parts” for my knee.
All in all, things could be much worse, I suppose. So far, my left knee has served me well. I have danced many a step with the help of that knee and once it even bended to “pop a question.” (But that is the subject of another column entirely). The more time spent here on the “sunny side of dirt,” the more one can expect to be in the market for a spare part or two.