I used to carry a full laundry basket down the cellar stairs, and empty-handed race the dog back up. Now I turn backward, hold the rail, and thump the basket down one step at a time. The dog is long gone, and I let the kitten run ahead.

The yard work didn’t use to be a chore because my knees didn’t argue, and my back didn’t ache. I miss the tidy flower beds. Thankfully the annuals still bloom.

My mind thinks the same, except it sleeps more. How many years ago you ask. Why it only seems like one.

****

A thought about the passage of time.