Pain and Irritation

Well, I’m reflecting today on how little things can make a big difference.

See, we had freezing rain here in River City Saturday night into Sunday morning. I peeked out the window Sunday morning about nine as I was preparing to go to Landlord Church for a preaching gig. It looked like wet pavements, dripping trees, etc.—in other words, the freezing part was over and the rain part had begun. Forgetting that cement doesn’t warm up very quickly, I started down the front steps with briefbag over my shoulder, umbrella in one hand, and prop for the children’s story in the other hand. You will have noticed, I’m sure, that I did not leave a hand for the railing on the way down.

Indeed, I slid handle over teakettle down those fireplacing steps, hitting every one of the four of them on the way down. When the world stopped bouncing, I had a wet tush (from the wet steps), strained muscles in my shoulders, back, and neck (from trying to catch myself) and a bruised tailbone (from guess what). By the end of the day, I could barely walk, let along haul myself up the stairs to bed (see strained shoulders).

All this is not to garner sympathy (well, maybe a little). But after all, there are a lot of people with worse health issues than mine out there. I can handle it—I’ll get better in a day or so.

The thing is, such a minor thing as a bruised tailbone makes a huge difference in how I look at things today.

I had planned some closet cleaning, dog grooming, and laundry for today. None of those things are going to happen, because I cannot haul clothes in and out of the closet, I cannot carry the laundry basket up and down the stairs, and I most certainly cannot get down on the floor to groom the dog (they would find my skeleton in the spring, brush in one hand and clippers in the other, desperately reaching for the counter in order to pull myself up).

My back-up plan, as of last night, was to work on sermons for the next couple of weeks. My shoulders vetoed the hunched-over-the-computer thing. They are complaining about blogging, in fact.

So how about reading? Nope—there’s no comfortable position that will also allow me to hold a book and read.

It’s a minor thing, this pain—just some really bad aches, in fact. But they are such bad aches I’m pretty much motionless. I’ve had worse pain—but it’s never been so inconvenient. I am newly awakened to sympathy for those who have severe arthritis and back problems.

Those of you who can move easily, who are pain-free, whose loved ones are pain-free, rejoice!

The rest of us will take our Advil and lie quietly.