Oh, hi there. As you may have noticed, I’ve been a bit busy lately. Well, perhaps you inferred it from the profound lack of posting. (Actually, I suspect it is largely unnoticed except by those precious friends who, checking often from distance, have recently and very kindly reached out to inquire if all is well.)
By way of reply, a tangent (of course). I have very recently been enduring the most discomforting shoulder, upper back, and neck spasms; for a time, I was at a loss for any reason or explanation for it. They’ve gotten so bad that I went to the doctor seeking relief. She asked me if I were stressed and I chuckled and replied no, of course not. Next, she asked me to briefly summarize the last six months.
So I did. Let’s see… I’ve changed jobs, bought a house, moved, had a terrifying health scare (passed), and my dad died. She jotted something on my chart and then looked up and casually asked, “Are you aware that the list you just rattled off is all but one of the things considered as ‘most stressful experiences in a human’s life’?”
I actually didn’t know there was such a list. So I said that no, I wasn’t aware of it. I asked what the last one was and she informed me that it was marriage/divorce. She laughed. I blushed. And I accepted and admitted that yes, actually, if I just stop and think about it for a moment, I am not only just about completely wrung out from the last six months, but, apparently, I’ve been doing such a grand job of ignoring it that my body is essentially in revolt over the strain.
Problem is, I can’t really take “time off” from work because I consult (which means if you don’t work, you don’t get paid) and I am also the primary wage earner in my household (Though J has significantly reduced the strain and contributes untold intangible benefit that I could easily spend an entire post regaling).
So. I’m teleworking this week while alternating hot and cold packs, taking obligatory doses of Aleve, and getting cortisone shots when needed to try and loosen things up a bit.
Oh… and I’m trying to figure out how to relieve the stress more effectively when I’m strung like a piano and oh, it just so happens that I am entering that wonderful “time of change” for a woman to boot.
I suppose not too very long ago, I might have detailed oh so much of this particular fire dance but, honestly, there’s enough obligation on the ol’ shoulders at the moment so, instead, I’ve actually just let it idle a bit. Well, I’ve tried. It is a bit of a compulsion now and then to post, but (obviously) not an obsession.
The title here is that reference to the rapid-speed run by that the Roadrunner cartoon series made popular when I was younger. A puff of smoke, a moment of stillness, the trademark, “Meep meep!” and then, gone in a flash and another puff of smoke… down the road and forward.
All this said, still I wish for you that all is well and am thankful and comforted to know you care.