Being a fairly easygoing horseman, overreaction isn’t one of my personal traits. When given extraordinary news, I usually nod, pause for thought, and make some neutral comment acknowledging the message.

However, when I received the unexpected news from the doctor that I needed a knee operation all that came out of my mouth was, “What?!”

Last April, I scheduled a rare appointment at our community medical center. There was a small cyst growing on my finger; nothing of any consequence. It bothered me when I held BeBop’s reins.

Rationally, I thought it could be quickly removed, and the wound would be healed before riding season arrived. But I happened to casually mention to one of the medical staff that my hip was stiff and my knee bothered me after long trail rides. The next thing I knew, I had my right leg inserted in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, a wonder of modern medicine.

Bad Knee, Bad Time
Dr. Bruce, an old friend and one of the best orthopedic guys around, came into the examining room with the MRI images and pointed out some facts of aging. “You have the knee of a 90-year-old man, Ben.” Then he broke the news.

Knowing me, he must’ve been surprised at my — pardon the expression — knee-jerk reaction. I listened, but remember hearing only the sharp tear of the sanitary paper covering the table I was sitting on as Dr. Bruce made his concluding point: The meniscus (cartilage) was torn.

He handed me a pamphlet and sent me off to a desk where a nice woman said, “Your surgery is scheduled for May 31.” In the elevator down, I just kept thinking, I must be dreaming. I’ve never had surgery. There was no time in my life for an extended lay-up. 

Finally, the reality sunk in. I had about five weeks to prepare for a projected four-to-six week post-operative recovery period. 

My mind raced. In that mishmash of thoughts were my job managing the history museum, Vanessa, the farm duties, and the horses. This comes at a bad time, I thought. I don’t want to be a burden.

On the drive home, my thoughts settled. I realized that if I was going to get through this turn of events successfully, I needed to find a better attitude. Right then and there, I decided to have a positive outlook on this adventure.

The Big Picture
First, I looked at the big picture. The year 2007 would mark a unique event in my life, knee surgery. I might as well make the best of it. It’ll be a time to learn something new and reconnect with life; do some fun things. Projects pending at work really could wait. When I began thinking of the surgery only as a “procedure,” my mind eased.

With this new attitude, I saw the recovery period as a welcome rest from the work-a-day world. The time off would do me some good. Besides, a month and a half is only a blip on the radar screen of life. If the knee healed properly, I’d add many more years to my riding enjoyment. Bottom line, I’d probably be able to resume trail riding on the Fourth of July weekend. So, that became my goal. 

By the time I walked in the front door, I was a bundle of positive energy. Vanessa was very supportive of the situation. For the next five weeks, we hustled around doing such chores as fixing barn doors and making a place for the June hay. 

When I mentioned to Vanessa that I should pick up fly-fishing again, she drove to the tackle store and bought me a new reel full of floating line.

Driving Lessons
At our land up north, we accomplished several to-do items to prepare our new property for summer. We cleared a place for the horse trailer by Memorial Day, with the help of our neighbor, Luke.

The following weekend, we set the trailer and spent our first night. On Sunday morning, I went fishing with our neighbor, Dan. It might seem odd but, rather than me being a burden, he was pretty happy that I needed a fishin’ partner in June.

As it turned out, I wouldn’t have to set aside my interests in horses, either. Dan’s wife, Karen, in addition to her two gaited horses, has a Miniature Donkey, Wuzzie, and a Miniature Horse, Little Bit, who were rescued in 2000. She’s teaching both to drive.

When we returned from fishing, Karen and Vanessa were in the stall area harnessing Little Bit to a fancy two-wheeled cart. Wuzzie stood quietly tied next to his training cart. His harness was hanging on a hook behind him.

“Wanna learn how to drive, Ben?” Karen chirped. “Since you can’t ride these days, maybe you want to be the whip and drive the donkey.” She introduced me to each harness piece and showed me how to hitch Wuzzie to his cart. The little guy was very patient with me. I found out that he loves sugar cubes.

We both got through the harness lesson, and before I knew it, I was following Karen up the Fire Road in a cart, behind a furry gray donkey that bares the Blood of Allah — black markings that form a cross — on his back. This would be fun to do while my knee is healing, I thought. 

Karen invited me back to drive again, and Dan told me he had some better fishing holes on the Independence River where I could rest my knee.

Vanessa thought this was great. She liked the refresher course in harnessing, and she could ride the trails with Karen while I went fishing. The recovery period wouldn’t be that bad, after all.

Positive Energy
As we get older and our bodies begin showing age, a positive attitude is a great force of energy. Be patient, and heal correctly. Look at the time as a vacation. It is possible to enjoy your recovery period.

Attitude is everything. Explore an interest; make new friends. I found that with a good attitude, positive things come into your life, and your body will heal faster. 

At this writing, I’m 20 days into my “new, old knee.” I’ve been released from physical therapy, but warned about the relationship between proper healing and knee replacements. I still have a couple more weeks to enjoy my little break from life with Wuzzie and the trout in the Independence River.