So today started like a responsible adult movie montage. I woke up, laced up my invisible sneakers, and went for my morning walk. I even treated myself to two cans of tea at the store. Hydration and discipline. Look at me go.
Then I walked back.
Halfway home, my lungs decided to file a formal complaint. I could barely breathe. The kind of breathing where every step feels like you’re auditioning for a dramatic hospital scene. Convenient timing too, because I already had a doctor’s appointment about… my breathing.
Up until now, a few doctors had waved the magic wand of “stress and anxiety.” Which makes sense on paper. I do have a court case coming up where jail is a possible plot twist. And there’s always that lovely background hum of “what if the cancer comes back.” Those two thoughts alone could make anyone breathe like they’re climbing Everest in flip-flops.
But today the doctor surprised me.
He said it’s not the stress.
It’s not the cancer.
It’s not my mind staging a dramatic rebellion.
I’m just… out of shape.
That diagnosis hit me like a motivational poster disguised as a reality check. No doom, no disaster. Just the simple truth: I’ve got to take it light, ease into movement, build it up, maybe even brave the wild frontier of a gym someday. He did order some heart tests too, just to make sure everything’s playing nice in there. Which feels responsible. And slightly sci-fi. I like imagining my heart on a tiny medical runway getting waved in for inspection.
Meanwhile, back at headquarters, Whiskey Kitty is living her best slapstick life.
She’s figured out how to jump into her playpen.
She has not figured out how to jump back out.
So now she hops in, looks around like, “Well. This is my life now,” and waits for a rescue mission. A tiny furry prisoner of her own ambition. Honestly, it’s kind of poetic.
She may not have this.
But I do.
Out of breath doesn’t mean out of the game. Day 99, still standing, still walking, still learning how to pace myself. One step at a time. One breath at a time. And one kitten rescue at a time.
I got this.
by Dan and Bonkers
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