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Hi y’all.
Today started out hard. I felt pretty low when I woke up. I won’t go into the details, but it is a day when I feel especially frustrated with my limitations. Despite having a chronic health condition for a decade and a half, there are days I don’t feel at all “used” to it. I want to rail against my limitations, an act that only further drains my spoons.
A loved one listened to me whine for a while, then helped pour me into a car for diner breakfast & coffee (she drove, I paid).
Somehow this afternoon I found the energy to work in the garden. The weird thing is that this physical labor drains me like any other, which should leave me with less. Most days, though, the improvement on my mood seems to make up for the cost. I feel better about myself, even when the work makes me dizzy and I have to sit and rest frequently.
I actually enjoy weeding. It’s a classified as a chore, sure, but it’s a satisfying one. It should be done every day, but it’s the most satisfying when I discover a neglected patch and can really rip & tear into some plants. Pretty violent for a dirty occupier hippie, huh?
What is replenishing you today? What’s on your mind? This is today’s open thread, so speak up.
19 Comments
The world needs good weeders. Congrats!
It also needs more chicken tractors, but that’s another story.
Kit, I apologize for not having anything to say here at first. I wanted you to know that your post affects many of us just as Phoenix Woman has expressed it, even if we don’t comment. After reading your invitation I went on to read a post by cmaukonen, and having read yours, I found I had something to say there. So, I had to come back and thank you.
Thank you!
You’re on my mind now, dear! Here are some products I find invaluable;,hope they may help you.
http://www.celadrininfo.com/faq/faq.html
(both oral and topical; I by Now brand of both)
http://www.stopain.com/stopain-4oz-spray/
(be sure it’s extra strength with MSM and glucosamine sulphate)
You can google fibromyalgia and Celadrin.
There is something about gardening, isn’t there? Something about getting one’s hands into the dirt. It can really “ground one” (couldn’t resist).
Today, though, was a day for singing. Probably a good thing I was home alone. Maybe its the breathing, but singing (even if I don’t do it so well) always shifts my mood and alters things.
Hey Kit, I’m sorry to hear that going was rough today.
I like weeding also. It can be cathartic watching the weed pile grow as the weeded area expands. I wish all accomplishments in life could be measured so easily :)
Built a tuned magnetic loop antenna for my ham radio. Works pretty good but took a while to get the thing tweaked. Now I do feel good.
Love it when an idea comes together.
OK… I’ll bite… chicken tractor? :)
It’s great to accomplish something! :)
They say that humans are born with an ability to appreciate music. I bet singing has some very significant effects on brain chemistry!
Thanks wendy, I will do some investigating!
Hey don’t feel bad. The watercooler gives me a chance to share a little music or a cool video, and some of my thoughts. If people want to join in they are welcome, but if they don’t I don’t take it personally! I know that lots of people read who never say a thing But thanks for taking the time to say so.
It started out rough but it ended pretty great!
Around the time you and others were posting this last night, I was in the process of painting tarnished cheapo wonderful earrings I’ve had for years instead of bumming that they’d seen better days and were ready for the junk heap. They dangle and each one looks like a ~5/16″ ball planet (bead) with a satellite route (wire) circling horizontally around (~5/8″ diameter). I used silver glitter nail polish on everything but the planet which is now bright pink, and the wire which is now neon green with a bit of silver glitter. I love nail polish but have no nails to speak of so this was a total win-win-win.
PS I am glad you’re feeling better. Getting out in nature and doing something physically productive (eg weeding, jewelry revitalizing) is just the thing!
Thanks for this post, and the link to the ‘spoon theory’ piece; it made me tear up a little. Something’s stealing all my effing spoons and the doctors don’t know what it is, yet. The good news is that I’m able to work, and I have health insurance to try to solve the mystery. I did a little weeding today, too (weeds do have a purpose) but I’ve decided to skip out on some totally awesome events today to save up my spoons.
Chicken tractors are John Deere’s latest. Tiny machines designed to fit a chicken’s body configuration, thus allowing them to not only scratch dirt, but actually till the soil in a useful manner. $350 if you order online. Worth every cent to get double duty out of your domestic livestock.
Just kidding. It’s a portable chicken coop that you place in different locations so the birds have a continuous access to fresh pasture.
I want one.
That sounds great & you are right, that kind of project can be just revitalizing too. Also, I may have to raid your nail polish collection. Since you aren’t using them on nails, I will. :)
Caroline: You’ve got my sympathy & empathy on this. In some ways, the hardest part can be not knowing what is going on, so I hope you get through this stage quickly and find a diagnosis.
I was talking to a friend Wednesday who has been dealing with a chronic illness lately (she already had one autoimmune issue & has developed a second, worse one) and we talked about the spoon theory. ‘I’ve become very familiar with it,’ she said, ‘and I kind of hate the spoon theory. But it’s still true.’ I agreed that summed it up well.
Skipping events because of spoons is hard, but know there will always be more great things to do when you have the energy.
Wow now I want one too! I really want chickens someday to go with my garden.