On Thursday my cousins and their families came over for a visit. (Good stuff!) One of my cousins is visiting from Texas and it was so wonderful to see her and her kiddos. There were 16 people in my tiny house and 8 of them were young kids. I felt amazingly blessed to have so much love in my life. We had pizza and salad. It was delish and I only had one piece. Thursday night, we learned that the alternator of my husbands car was going out. My brother and him ended up staying up until 12:30 to put in the alternator. I was there for moral support. When we were sooo close to being done someone dropped the final bolt and the project was on hold.
Thursday during the day I had a really stiff neck, but it was manageable. After a short nights sleep, I woke up Friday morning with tremendous pain in my neck and shoulder blade. It was extremely painful to turn my head from one side to another. I drove myself to work with an ice pack on my neck. Work was hard Friday morning because I was in so much pain. I probably should have gone to the chiropractor, but had just been on Monday and didn't want to go again so soon. After lunch on Friday, I received a call from my husband that his mother had suddenly passed away. She was such a kind mother-in-law. I would often hear people complain about their in-laws and have always been thankful for the kindness that she has shown to me. I joke with people that I am pretty sure she liked me more than my husband. :) I rushed home so that he could go and be with his dad.
By Friday evening, I was in intense neck and shoulder pain, but it was after business hours and too late to do anything. Hubby's car was still out of commission and I was stuck. Friday night didn't bring much sleep because I was up and down all night with pain in my neck and shoulder. Saturday morning brought no relief. I called the massage therapist and they had an opening at 10:30. My massage appointment was...interesting. She does this thing called "cupping". Have you heard of cupping? I'll post more about this process in a few days. (Yep, I took pictures so you could see!) The massage helped, but I was still in pain.
Saturday afternoon, we went with the same group from Thursday night to Chuck E Cheese. I was tired, sore, and mourning. Chuck E Cheese really isn't the place to be when you are all those things, but I loved being with family and getting to see my kiddos with their cousins. The pain is so intense that I haven't been able to work out since Wednesday!
It's Sunday now. I am still in pain, but it's getting better and I was even able to get a nap and a walk in this afternoon. I picked up some Icy Hot at the store tonight and that seems to be helping. We are still missing a bolt, but the dealer said that it will be in on Tuesday. My mother-in-law's passing is, of course, hitting everyone hard. I mourn for her and it has really brought up a lot of feelings that I had about my dad's death that I had pushed pretty deep down. Tomorrow (Monday), I will give my chiro a call if the pain is not better. We are planning on taking the kids to the zoo and I need to be able to actually look at the animals.
What's the good?
I am healthy! I am strong (inside and out)! I am deeply loved! I faced the pressures of the past few days with a confidence that I've never had before. I didn't run to a McD's drive through cause I was sad. I didn't have a coke because I was suffering loss. I didn't buy a Cadbury egg (or 6) because we lost a bolt. I couldn't do intense exercise today, but I could walk, so I walked. It's exciting to know that the changes that I have made aren't a diet or a phase, but have really become who I am. Call, e-mail, text, write a letter to someone tonight and tell them you love them. You truly do not know if this will be the last chance you have to talk with them. ~Kari
