Young Bones

Wow.  I finally get one up on the aging process, but who would ever know?  It remains hidden, never to see the light of day and only was recently revealed to me via an X-ray.

I went to an orthopedic doctor a couple of weeks ago.  I had this bump on the back of my hand that my primary doctor thought was a ganglion cyst. 

The orthopedic doctor examined it and said, “Nope, not a ganglion cyst.  Looks like some arthritis forming.  Can happen with aging, and the bones start to bump up against each other.” Or something like that.  I can’t really remember the details (also something that can happen with aging). 

He said, “But let’s get some X-rays to be sure.”

And that is when the magical moment happened.

“Oh wow,“ he said.  “Your bones are great.  Much younger than their biological age.”

Wait.  What?!! Can you repeat that?!

Here at last, something regarding my physical body, aged 60, that was resisting the travails of time.

But my young bones are unseen.  They are covered up by my old skin, which I don’t need a doctor to tell me, is likely older than my biological age.  All wrinkly, crepe-y, dried, spots, and barnacles galore.

“Hey, doc,“ I wanted to say.  “Can I get these X-rays to go?”

I was thinking maybe I could frame them, or maybe craft some sort of jewelry out of them that I could wear and when people would ask, “What is that?,” I’d reply, “My young bones!”.

But you know.  Luckily, vanity is only skin deep. Not bone deep.

And those X-rays, like my young bones, remain out of sight. As they should.