When my little sons asked me to climb onto the roof to retrieve the stuffed animals they'd thrown up there, I got to say, "Oh, no, I can't! My doctor told me to stay off ladders and roofs." He actually did say exactly that. So there!

I am actually in what I recognize as a post-decline funk. This happens to me every time it becomes clear that there's something new I can't do. I collapsed on my way out of church yesterday. My husband was home sick, and my two older kids managed to get me to the steps, where I sat and rested while a friend went to get her car. But it was pretty embarrassing, etc. So, now what? I can't go out alone any more? I suppose if I'd had my walker with me, it would have solved the problem. I do bring it if I go to a store, but I've avoided bringing it to church. I'm almost never weak enough to collapse in the morning! That's my eleven-o'clock-on-the-way-to-bed state. This disease is so unpredictable.

I still can't figure out how to find a balance between not doing enough and doing too much. This recent collapse was payment for taking my teenagers Christmas shopping. I'm not sorry. We had so much fun.

Abby