A Painful Reminder

For all who suffer with Chronic Pain, we still have the desire to DO things as we once did. For me, there was no stopping me in the past before my fall from that stupid tree. My husband, joking, would refer to me as somebody with a mission to accomplish when there was a new job to tackle. I would NOT stop until it was done. That mindset definitely comes from my Dad, who passed away eight years ago. His motto was "You start a job, and you finish a job." Plain and simple! 

We recently purchased a vacation house that is very old–1913 to be exact. Although a great deal of work had been done on it, a LOVING touch is still needed. Each time we go there, I come away weary and tired, constantly reminded of things I should not be doing. But there is that drive in each of us that pushes our minds to keep trying, moving, doing something. So far, I had been pretty lucky in working on the house, meaning no major accidents have come my way. But I could see my husband holding his breath as he watched me do something as simple as walk up steps to the house! These are the moments when I feel GUILT–that ONE stupid action on my part (falling from the tree) has caused this much worry for him.

So as our visit was ending yesterday at this old house, I was rushing around to do the usual packing, making sure nothing was being left behind and then hurrying to load up the truck so we could beat the traffic as we headed back home. But this was NOT going to be an easy EXIT for me. Just as I got to our truck with the last load of items to pack, for whatever reason, I felt myself slipping on fallen oak leaves on the ground. I tried HARD to take my bad leg and plant it firmly, praying this was not happening to me! Next thing I knew, there my old aching body lay, half of me under the truck and the half sprawled on the ground! Thank the LORD I managed to land on my good hip, but I also took a hard HIT on my head from the ground. My only thought was "Oh no, I can't let my husband see me like this. He'll panic and call the paramedics!" So with everything I had left in me, somehow I managed to pull myself up and simply act like NOTHING happened.

I could easily let this fall stop me from trying to do things, but that is not for me. There is a battle that happens each day for me, fighting PAIN, and I refuse to let it WIN. For all who suffer with Chronic Pain, there will always be set-backs and times of wanting to give up. My prayer for each of you is to just KEEP TRYING...and looking up for a bit of joy.