Facing my Enemy - the Stairs

We all have things that we loathe, even the happy go luck people have things in their lives, whether it be an object or a person that they despise so much that they would go out of their way to avoid it. Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury. You see, my greatest enemy, the thing I loathe most of all I have to face everyday. In fact I would go to say I face it several times a day. I'm talking about the stairs in my house. 

Strange I know but for someone with ME the stairs can be the worst thing going. Particularly the stairs in my house. They are steep, mega steep and the thought of climbing up them everyday, several times a day fills me with dread. I have even gone so much as to practically live downstairs (good job we have a downstairs loo or I'd be a goner) just so I don't have to literally drag myself up them. On a good day, I can climb them with just the aid of the banister but have to stop halfway for a breather. When I make it to the top I have to sit down for a couple of minutes before carrying on. On a bad day, I have my walking stick in one hand and the banister in the other, putting immense strain on my arms but dragging my feet up step by step. And on a very bad day I have stick, banister and husband behind me practically lifting me up each step! The worst days I don't go up them at all. I am grateful however that they are straight stairs and do not bend in the middle and go round corners.

I look at them everyday and the first thing I see is like that scene in Jaws when Sheriff Brody is sitting on the beach with his wife and he realises there is going to be a shark attack and the camera zooms in on his face but the background zooms out, that's how I see the stairs. I feel like I'm about to climb Everest. By the time I'm up those thirteen steps I am done for the day, completely worn out, out of breath and shaking like a rattle snake. Going down isn't so bad but I feel ridiculous going down them on my bottom like a child would do. Gone are the days when I could run up the stairs, down them, back up again etc. etc. like they were never a problem. I am determined to conquer those stairs one day without needing to take a rest, have help or collapse when I reach the top. For most people a goal in life would be to get out of debt or travel round the world but my goal for the moment is to just climb up those thirteen steps, plain and simple.

Wish me luck......