Walking is like breathing for most of us. We just get up and move through our days without having to think about the thousands of steps a normal day requires. That changed for me a few weeks ago.

Emily and I were on our morning walk, and my left heel started bothering me a bit. It felt bruised, but I didn't remember stepping on a rock or anything that would've caused a sore spot.

Unlike a normal bruise, this one didn't turn blue and it hurt worse each day instead of getting better. Extra padding in my shoe didn't help. The only way I could avoid pain was to hobble around tiptoeing on my left foot.

When I was a kid running around barefoot on the farm, stubbed toes and cut feet might make me a little gimpy-we called it crowhopping- but didn't slow me down.

Take my word for it, though, there's a world of difference between crowhopping at 10 and crowhopping at 70. As a youngster, a sore heel was just a sore heel. I didn't pay it much attention. It didn't keep me from chores or play. Now crowhopping around makes me hurt all over. I didn't realize how closely all the parts of this old body are joined together. My sore heel causes my back and neck to hurt. Go figure.

Finally, Miss Em couldn't stand my moaning, groaning and sympathy-seeking grumpiness anymore. She loaded me in the car and took me to the doctor. Dr. Bowers listened to my symptoms, looked at my heel and mashed the sore spot. I almost jumped off my chair.

“It's not a bruise,” he said. “You have Plantar Fasciitis. We see it fairly often in older, more active folks. As we age, the fatty tissue that cushions our heel bones gets thinner. That can lead to inflammation of the plantar fascia and pain. It'll get better over time. It may take a month, or it may take two years or longer. There isn't much in the way of medicine we can do. Don't do a lot of walking. Putting ice on it several times a day may help some.”

That wasn't what I wanted to hear. I wanted a prescription that would have me back on my feet quickly without discomfort or pain. Instead, I got a dose of reality. There isn't a pill for everything. This old body has served me well for 70 years, and if I do my part to take care of it, it'll probably keep going a good while longer. I like that idea a lot.

Hugh Clements, of Little Mountain, is a columnist for The Newberry Observer. The Bits & Pieces column appears the second Wednesday of each month.