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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>No Excuses<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Marcia J. Wick, The Write Sisters<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>October 2019<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Word Count: 503<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>My guide dog, Viviane, whines to go walking. As far as she is concerned, there are no excuses, although I am considering a few of my own. The temperature has dipped into the 40s for the first time this fall. I’ll have to pull out my cold weather hat and gloves. Meanwhile, I’m preoccupied with my 94-year-old Dad’s upcoming 95<sup>th</sup> birthday, my grandson’s eighth birthday, and the second anniversary of my mother’s passing, all of which I will miss while traveling out of town next week. The timing is regrettable. I should start packing, but my arm is still sore from a fall I took the day before. Adding insult to injury, I nicked my ankles shaving, and it pains me to wear walking shoes that rubbed the spot. I also could use the morning time to cook up a casserole for the coming week - I won’t have time to cook tomorrow on account of a hospice nurse visit with Dad. Like my dear old dad, my dear old cat is sleeping more and eating less. I may need to change her food. And, I can’t forget to check my bank balance online. My younger daughter, nearing 28, is short on her bills this month; I don’t mind covering the gap – she recently broke up with her long-time boyfriend and is working hard to make ends meet on her own, but a recent trip to the emergency room for an episode of kidney stones set her back. Meanwhile, my older daughter is feeling the strain of working full-time while managing two children and a marriage. She’s hoping they can buy a house in Denver where the cost of real estate is unreal. I want to help; I want to hand her a big check, but I don’t have that luxury. Glancing at the calendar, I note that it’s been a year since my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. She received the bad news on her 68<sup>th</sup> birthday. After today, she only has three more chemo infusions to endure. While getting dressed, I notice my right hip is stiff. My second hip replacement isn’t healing as quickly as the first. Perhaps it’s due to the drop in temperature? The days are getting shorter. The holidays are upon us – Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Years - 2020 is coming, ready or not. The elections, the impeachment inquiry, the Russians and the Ukrainians, the North Koreans, and China – how many distractions to keep me from walking the dog can I find? Resigned, I clip Vivi’s collar and harness her up to guide me. My yellow Labrador expresses her pleasure with a prance. As Viviane pulls me with purpose into the present, concerns of the day, the week, the month, and the year disappear. As she leads me forward, I concentrate solely on placing one foot in front of the other. For the next hour, I’ll have no excuses and no regrets. Walking with my guide dog is always the best part of my day. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal># # #<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>