For those who don’t know, my brother had serious health issues. Liver failure. Lymph edema. Torn meniscus. Spinalstinosis. Spinal degeneration. Arthritis in every joint of his body. Autoimmune issues. He could barely shuffle and could not step up at all. Even with pain meds at the highest level that was safe for his liver, he was at a level 5-7 pain constantly. About 6 months before he died, we discussed plans to go to DC to the Smithsonian, and he was hesitant because it would mean a wheelchair, and he didn’t want to put that stress on my body. The truth is, simply standing and shuffling to the bathroom was incredibly painful and difficult.
These things have been in my mind really since he died last year and more so in the last few weeks.
As of yesterday, I am now older than my brother will have the opportunity to be, and that truth–that living is an opportunity–has been rolling through my mind and deep parts of my soul a lot lately. Yesterday I felt like I needed to acknowledge I have been given a precious opportunity that Raymond will never get, and I kept thinking, “I need to do something that screams Epic Living.”
Considering all the plans we had, all the dreams he would never fulfill, and all the simple things he could not do, I decided to invest in goals I have, like Capulin Volcano and the Rocky Mountains, by doing what he couldn’t do.
I went for a walk.
A long one.
One long enough that my feet, legs, knees, and back hurt…because I have the gifted ability to do that.
My son and I headed over to our local state park and walked one of the trails. Not going to lie. The last half mile hurt. My knees were not impressed and complained loudly, but thankfully, Berwin kept talking about interesting stuff that kept me distracted, and he kept telling me I was doing well (a good hype person makes all the difference). When we were home and I was lying on my heating pad, I started adding the distances on the map. 3 miles or slightly more. Essentially a 5K.
Yesterday I walked The Raymond Kelley Epic Living 5K in celebration of the Raymond and in recognition of the gift to live in so many adventurous ways…in the aware that being alive is the gift of opportunity.
Was it truly “epic”? For some people, no, but for others, I am living a dream come true.
And that is epic.
Living the dream,
Jerri Kelley
(BTW, concerning the goggles…My eye drops are good, but they are struggling with the high levels of pollen. I wear swim goggles or a ski mask to protect my eyes when I mow, work in the yard, or go for walks. Does wonders for making the Yellow Season bearable.)
Jerri Kelley 
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