If at first you fail to learn...

...try and try again.

When I was recovering at home from my bone marrow transplants, I had a rule: "Only one thing a day."

So whatever I did, a walk, a quick shopping trip, whatever, I limited myself to that one thing even if I was tempted to do more.

I don't have to limit myself to one thing anymore, but I do have to remind myself that I am not the Ever Ready Bunny, and oddly, for a relatively smart person, I sometimes forget my limits. (If you know me, you're probably thinking "Duh."). No I did not fall this time or anything like that. But here's what happened that made me think about limits again.

I saw a friend this morning who I hadn't seen for a long time, and who knows my history. A look of concern in his eyes, he said he wanted to ask me a question. I said sure. "Are you OK?" he asked.

Cancer survivor paranoia set in. "Why, don't I look OK?" I asked, wondering if he saw something I was missing. "You look fine, but you're a little stiff, and I thought maybe something was going on with your medication," he said.

I told him I was OK and that I had played more than two hours of tennis the day before. Tonight after I was extra stiff in yoga and wishing for an oil can, I thought about my activity level yesterday.

I was scheduled to play in a team tennis match, and then I locked in to that night's round robin without giving it much thought. The match went a full two hours of excellent tennis. Afterwards, instead of stretching, I sat around and ate the food that our team, as the hosts, had brought. I was pretty tired, but I went home and walked the dog, did a few things around the house, and went to the other tennis event.

By that time I was stiffening up. I didn't want to play, but I had committed. I only played half – 45 minutes – sharing the spot with someone else who had just played a match. It was actually fun, but I was dragging.

Today I am feeling it. Here are things that every active person should remember:  Drink water, stretch, rest, and rejuvenate.