I shared on my Instagram account recently about my mom getting her other knee replaced. She had the first one done a couple years ago and now she has two brand new knees! She feels like she will be invincible when she has both knees working properly.

And she will be. I mean, the week before she went in for surgery, she was canning tomatoes. In her late eighties, she is still fretting because she canned up the last of her tomatoes but went to bed with a messy kitchen because her knee just wouldn’t hold out any longer.

And I think I’m too busy to go walk two miles a day. Seriously.

Then, to top that off, I watched my 87-year-old dad lean over and kiss her on the cheek before she went into surgery, telling her he would be waiting for her. He shuffled away with the assistance of a walker because he refuses to use the wheelchair because he needs the exercise.

After making sure she was in good shape, he drove himself home because he was kind of tired after being up since 5 that morning. The man is being kept alive by dialysis three days a week. (Thank God for dialysis!)

And I think I have problems.

So, here is your motivation for this week – when you think you’re too tired, too stressed, or in too much pain to push through that project or you get irritated because of the breakdowns and interruptions, think about these people.

Think about the thousands of retired farmers whose bodies have slowed them down while their brains are full steam-ahead chopping corn and getting the combine ready to harvest soybeans – then enjoy every moment you are given today.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Those with questions or comments for Melissa Hart may write to her in care of this publication.