I Think I Did Too Much This Past Weekend

It started on Friday. I had my time in at work, and was able to go home early. I went to the Lifestyle Center early, went home and fed the cats, and went to the store for my weekly shopping.

That helped with Saturday, because I could get up and start on housework, which I did. Since I had a "head start," I decided this was the weekend I would get the much needed extra cleaning done, which meant, specifically, vacuuming the entire house.  Well I started with housework Saturday morning, and discovered that I had some unexpected errands to run. So, after I went to the Lifestyle Center, I ran these errands.  I had finished all of the housework on my plan before running errands, except the vacuuming. The vacuuming was physically taxing for me, and took much longer that it would have if I was feeling well.

I have to think it was because of the physical exertion, but it was not a good night, and I took aspirin, and used the tens device to help relieve the pressure, but about 2:30 AM, woke up in discomfort. After tossing and turning for an hour, I got up and moved to the sofa.  Eventually, I was alert enough so I could start reading. 

I took a brief nap early Sunday AM, but got up and fed cats, moved laundry, and started yard work.  On Saturday, I thought if I felt well enough, I could mow the front yard. Since that did not happen, the plan was then changed on Sunday, to edge and mow in the front, mow the back, and weed eat the alley.  Well, forget that.

I was hurting so bad, that I started with the much needed edging of the front yard, then mowing, then cleaning up the cast offs on the driveway, side of the road, and side walk from those two activities.  I spent a lot of time resting while I was doing these chores.

I had planned to go to the Lifestyle Center to swim, but I ran out of time.  I took a shower, finished laundry, fed the cats, and went to the Catholic Charities fundraiser Night To Remember http://cclubbock.org/.  I was not sure how long I could last there, but I used an analgesic patch http://www.icyhot.com/patch/1/ on my back, and had some very rapid relief which told me that some of the pain was muscular, not nerve pain.

All this while, when I was taking breaks, I was reading Unbroken, A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Linda Hillenbrand.  This is the story of Louie Zamperini, and the inhumane treatment he survived as a prisoner of war in Japan during World War II. But it is a story of much more.  It is a story of how he turned his life of disrepute around, and became an honored Olympic athlete.  And, how he turned his life around, after World War II and became a  motivator for people who were struggling with the struggles of self-worth and faith with which he struggled.

I have not finished the book. But I will say this, maybe another day, I would not have pushed myself to do the yard work I did.  Compared to Zamperini, my experience was a walk in the park. A little back ache. What am I complaining about?

The point being, we do not know how really bad we have it until we communicate with people who have it worse.