Reinventing myself -- every day.

Say what you want about the crabby attitude of us dogs with arthritis, but we're active crabs with creakyjoints. September 14 I'm going to an A-Camp at Galleria Woods Retirement Community in Birmingham where about 30 people, so far, have signed up to further their enjoyment in the water. I don't know yet whether they're fast swimmers, floaters or water aerobics people, but I do know that they are living active lives in spite of a disease that pushes them toward inactivity.

While we are busy reinventing ourselves each time we get out of bed in the morning, remembering how our joints used to flex and trying to get back there, or as close to there as we can, we forget that we have opportunities to have fun while we find our flexibility. That's what the A-Camps do and that's why I'm going down to Birmingham for this one.

Other dogs can get wet at a swim camp, but only we have A-Camps, and only we understand that they mean more than a day in the water and classroom learning how to swim like a fish. They are the difference between sedentary and active, happy and bored, and being ahead of the curve vs. always feeling behind. I'll let you know what happens. In the meantime, tell me if you want an A-Camp in your town. They're free and they're cool.