Progress and patience

Oh, I was so silly yesterday. I felt good with my full-night's sleep and minimal, residual bone pain so I did too much - and paid for it last night.

If only I'd stopped after the garage sales and lunch at Ribfest. The entire family spent an enjoyable morning seeking bargains at garage sales. Unfortunately, the long weekend minimized their number, so we didn't have a lot of luck. But it was fun anyway.

Since we were out, Michael suggested hitting Victoria Park for lunch. Yum. While the kids dined on pogos and french fries (how unadventurous), Michael and I split the porky pig special for two consisting of ribs, pulled pork, barbecued chicken, beans and coleslaw. It was awesome, and our fingers and lips were coated with the sticky, smoky BBQ sauce.

Since, my energy prevailed when we got home, I tackled the music room, which was still full of misplaced stuff from the painting party. Poor Michael has been making due with a very small space in which to play his guitar. His music is his coping mechanism, his stress reliever, so it was critical we cleaned it first when I had enough energy.

Then I was encouraged by the clean music room and therefore kept working to reassemble the front hall. That thinking was the big mistake.

Of course, with both the music room and front hall, I couldn't just put the stuff back in the exact same spot. I sorted it and threw out a bunch of useless and old items. The tasks involved a lot of bending, which turned out to be my nemesis. Since I don't have strength in the abdominal muscles cut in the surgery, my upper abs (right under the ribs) and my entire back did all the work. As a result, I could barely move by dinner.

I'm still sore this morning, but it's a little better. Of course, now I need to rest, rest and rest it again.

Yesterday was a shining example of my lack of patience. I couldn't tackle the jobs in one-hour increments like a wise woman, but had to finish what I started. I liked the progress, but need to realize it hurts when I do too much.

Two steps forward, one step back. Argh.

I'm continuing to learn on this journey.

Tina