“Victory!!!…”

Now for something totally different (at least for me… lol!)

What some of you might not know about me is that I have a chronic, progressive, undiagnosed pain condition, focused mostly in my lower joints and nerves.  It is undiagnosed because the doctors I was seeing were unable to determine its cause, and I finally gave up on them…

What it means for me is that I am always in some degree of pain, to a lesser or greater degree, affecting mostly my lower back, hips, knees, ankles and feet. Some days the pain is so intense that I can hardly walk, and it’s been several years since I could dance or hike (two of my favorite pastimes).  Occasionally the nerves in my back and legs cause spasms, or a sudden buckling of the legs, making falling a real risk for me.  And falling would be a very bad thing, since my knees don’t work well enough for me to get up on my own.  Add to that the fact that bending at the knees and waist can sometimes be excruciating, or outright impossible, and you understand that I am physically challenged…

I don’t tell you this seeking sympathy; I accept this about myself.  I try not to complain too much.  I have chosen to keep my job throughout, which involves standing for 8-10 hours a day, moving boxes, unloading trucks… things I shouldn’t be doing, probably, but I love my job!  And my co-workers look out for me, helping when they can, checking on me from time to time, escorting me to my car on really bad days, in case I fall in the parking lot, etc…

Every year it gets worse, and the things I can do physically become more limited.  I try to keep a sense of humor about it all, and carry on.  I am only sharing this with you now to give you context for what I really want to share: a personal victory that proves to me, at least, that we are capable of amazing things, especially when we work together…

I have missed two days of work this week because of an unexpected snowstorm that struck here on Monday, dumping two feet of heavy, wet snow.  Now, snow shovelling is not something I can do this year, but with no money to pay for a plow, I didn’t have much choice if I was ever going to get back to work…

So this morning during meditation. I made a point of digging my roots deep into the Earth, seeking strength, endurance and resiliency…  And then I went out to shovel.  What follows is the pictorial story of my progress…

Bottom line, though, is that I did it!!  I worked slowly, shovelful by shovelful, enjoying myself.  The crows came out to chat with me and keep me company. The weather remained pleasant, and my mind was free to wander at will, while my body labored away…

It took me 6-8 hours all together, in small, steady increments, but I am officially dug out!  And sharing that progress with friends today, who then sent me Love and strength, made it a true community effort, even if I was the only one wielding a shovel…

So now I share it with you; proof that we can do almost anything we set our minds to, if we have trust and love for ourselves, the support of others, and the willingness to put one foot in front of the other…

Advertisements