I looked at "The Mystery of the Ordinary" by Charles Cummings quite a while ago. I still remember that he has chapters on ordinary things we do such as swallowing or smelling that we usually take for granted. We do that with good reason since we do many very important things so often that we don't have time or attention to be aware of each and every occurrence. One of the things mentioned in the book is standing, as in standing up.
As we age, our feet, ankles, knees, hips and balance may fail. Then, standing up and walking are really a miracle. It is a miracle for anyone at any time. I read an engineer's compliments on the spinal column once. He mentioned the difficulty of building a structure as tall as a man, with the weight in such a body, balanced on two rather small feet. Then, add in the ability to run, jump, waltz and twirl, make the moves in soccer, football and wrestling needed in those sports. Finally, make the whole thing submersible in water and able to last 60 to 90 years. Just thinking about that increases my respect for the body.
There is an old riddle "What animal goes on four feet, then two and then three?" The answer is "Human" since as babies, they crawl on all fours, then learn to walk upright on two feet and in later age, use a cane as a third foot.
Standing and walking are wonderful achievements as some babies who have just mastered those skills would be glad to tell you. We can't all do that but we are all thankful when we can.
Lynn copyedits these posts if she has time. I need her sharp eye for the several blunders I make and then don't see. After reading this one, she who has spent plenty of time healing after one locomotion injury or another, commented that some people go from three feet (two plus cane or crutch) to wheels. Local locomotion by wheelchair or other conveyance is a big deal and is certainly highly developed these days. Normally, I ignore the ads that Google Gmail places beside my composition window but I admire Honda and respect the power of robotics and semi-robotics. Here is a link to some of their interesting walk-assist work.
