Among the Living (barely)

These last two months have been the biggest challenge:

• Snow
• More Snow
• It's even snowing today
• Temps rarely even as high as freezing.
• Shoulder/Neck problems (getting better, but still challenging)
• Mom unexpectedly in the hospital
• Mom back home, but "physical therapy" consisted of one visit and a sheet of exercises to do (great follow-up VNA - NOT!)
• Husband has the blues over not being employed
• Dog vomit
• Cats want attention
• Knitted top lost to major gauge swatch lie
• Husband has bronchitis
• House is a breeding ground for germs
• Now I'm getting sick.

On the plus side, my "Knitting Olympics" consists of several events, of which I have completed one so far:

• Sock Moguls (finishing the 2nd of a pair of waffle socks) -- DONE!
• Cross-Country Sleeve Slog (finishing the sleeves of a top-down cardigan)
• Figured Lace Skating (finishing up the kernel scarf, which is quite lovely)

Considering I'm near to being on the injured/sick list, I'll be surprised if I get much more than the sleeves done on the cardigan. Hmmmm.... maybe I should switch events and just knit a pair of socks again. Or a 1x1 rib scarf. Yeah, that could be good. Something that matches my nearly brainless state.

I'll be glad when winter is over!

Wise Words for Healing

The pain in my neck turns out to be a “moderate” bulge of the disk between C7 & T1.  It’s being managed with physical therapy and medication.

 

These kind words were sent by my HP friend Katie:

 

While you're managing the impingement, try to find  time to mentally set down all those burdens you've been carrying the past year or so...get the stress and  worries off your back, so to speak, and remember that there are so many offering support.  think there may have been times when it seemed that you had to be responsible for [your DH’s] well being as well as your own and it's hard living lives at once.

               

And if you have to speak of the pain, I find it easier to think of it in lower case letters – irksome but not worthy of Capital Letters [which are] for the important stuff like Love, Kindness, Happiness, Doggies, Knitting Patterns. I've found a way of pushing it off to a remote corner of my brain to scream and carry on all it wants while I'm consciously stretching and moving myself forward.

               

It's amazing and bizarrely rewarding to find out how much one can overcome, but I hope your discomfort is short-lived and non-recurring. Hope you're back knitting up a storm soon.