So, almost two weeks ago now, I was minding my own business, setting up my booth at the Saturday Market. After I finished my perfectly normal routine, actually amazed at the normalness of it (no wacking my head on something, or clip breaking, or god knows what) I realized two things: one, I was hungry (no surprise there) and two, my back kinda hurt. I noticed this and paid it no mind. I am good at ignoring things that I don’t wish to acknowledge, denial, I am queen of you. So my day passed, every once in a while I would notice my discomfort. Sunday passed the same way.
Monday came and I thought my back was feeling much better, so therefore I should attend to all the things that were on my list. I cleaned house, and since it was so clean, and my back felt so much better, I should just mop the thing, being as the floors were crud free, but very dirty. And well, then after lunch I did have alot of jewelry-making to start so I spent several hours hunched like a troll over my desk. At about four, when I straightened up, I realized that my back REALLY hurt. Like, an unbelievable amount.
I tried soaking it away in the tub and that didn’t work. I tried drinking it away at dinner. That didn’t work, although it did give me a headache to go with the back. And the next morning, when I woke up, I realized that I almost couldn’t move.
So now I have learned that after you hit 28 years on this planet, when your back starts hurting you CANNOT IGNORE IT. That won’t make it go away like it did for the past 27 years. That just makes it angry. I spent the next four days flat on my back on either the couch or the floor, icing and heating it and cursing the heaviness of the book I was reading because it was damn awkward to hold suspended in the air. I watched alot of Perry Mason and Matlock. I practiced the art of just sitting and doing nothing, which until now, I had never really practiced. I did no projects for an entire week. A whole freaking week. It was horrible at first, but then I sort of got used to it and strangely, the days pass more quickly when one is doing nothing than when one is constantly moving. I would have thought it to be the opposite.
I didn’t do the saturday market last weekend. I was feeling alot better, but not well enough to sit in a booth for 8 hours. On monday I got to do a project! yay! I slowly dug out a tiny flower bed by the front porch. Basically, I just scraped away the dead grass. Brandon had to dig and throw the compost over it. I got to plant it yesterday.
My poor dog and boyfriend had to deal with everything being different while I was down. Brandon had to walk marcus before he went to work. He had to feed all the animals, carry things for me, and run around doing some of the million little chores I usually do. He tried very hard not to be to put out with me for endlessly asking him to do things, usually as soon as he sat down from the last thing. Marcus had to deal with less exercise than usual, which didn’t really bother him being as laying on the couch with his people is his favorite activity anyway. But my wonderful neighbors took on the task of walking him or taking him on doggie playdates while I was down. My cat was the happiest creature in the house because on about the third day of my injury she realized that I was almost permanently laying in the perfect position for her to sit on my chest for hours at a time. She hasn’t spent that much time on my lap since we got the dog. I thought I had missed it, it turns out, I didn’t. Shes kinda a crazy bitch when you have to get up. And I don’t like getting hissed at!
Okay, I’ll end this rambling blog now. Sorry if its a bit nonsensical, I am out of practice and well, my brain is going in a million different directions right now. I’m starting to plan for a gift show in January. Starting to gather items for the greenhouse we will be building this fall next to the coop. And I had a fantastic brainstorm for a tiny little attic room that will be perfect for guests to sleep in or reading and you will have to use a ladder to get to it… I am particularly excited about that idea. Now I just have to get Brandon excited about it too…..
Maggie
