THREW Mikes EyEz

Original Writings, Images, Video and Artworks of Mike Hartley

Pain and Gain

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Waking in pain is not the way I intended to start the day. A few hours of sleep while struggling to find a comfortable position. The recliner seemed to work best with the heat on. Unfortunately, when I did get up it was still with me so I turned to modern medicine for help this morning. Not something I often do at all.

Pain is an interesting advisory. It can be overcome in a lot of instances. Exercise and stretching go a long way in avoiding it in the first place. But it’s unavoidable, especially in your senior years. A wrong step, sleeping in the wrong position, doing stressful physical work, and many others can lead to discomfort that over-the-counter doesn’t touch.

The corner of Frederick Road and St Johns Lane. Photo by Mike Hartley

One of the common threads my closest friends have is our ability to power through the pain. The downside is that our bodies have paid a high price with a number of surgical scares and replacement parts installed. But we always move forward. Sometimes it takes us a while to act and get things fixed but we eventually do.

I believe being active will take us all well into our senior years and keep us healthy.


Gaining momentum and confidence lately. I guess focusing more and executing better helps. I’ve got to start to challenge myself more. It’s easy to go into my favorite town of Ellicott City and grab a few shots. But this county holds a lot of beauty in many spots and I hope to share that this year and beyond.

A cloudy morning yesterday in Ellicott City. Photo by Mike Hartley

I almost stopped at Wallas Park to catch some of the area youth at the national pastime of baseball but it must have been opening day or something yesterday. The lines to even get into the park at both entrances and I’m guessing nary a parking space to be had so I passed. I’ll hit it up on a weekday when it’s not so crowded. I need to practice my sports photography so when my grandchildren are of age soon, I’m ready again.

I spent more time coaching or helping out when my own children were playing there than I did taking pictures. But I did catch my daughter stepping into one below. She was a pretty good softball player. I’ll have to see if this old guy is slow on the shutter or not. Sports photography is a lot of timing shots. Back then I was shooting with film and no motor drive so it was hit-and-miss (no pun intended). Now I can fire away, I think the D7100 I use is 6 fps.

This has always been a very active sports county. Fields and facilities have always been at a premium. It’s amazing they have kept up with the growth of the county.

Well, I’m not going to get any chores or crafts done sitting here too long so I’ll see you all later today. Enjoy the sun.

Author: Mike Hartley

With a lifetime and a half in the Newspaper industry I'm preparing for my retirement career as an Artist, Writer, Photographer and Video content provider. I'm a proud father of two wonderful children and I'm still married to the first girl I fell in love with and probably only one that would have me.

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