Heading to the Hills!

At the risk of sounding like someone living with chronic pain and BEING a chronic pain because of it... over the course of the 22+ months that I've been dealing with this back pain, I've come to know which problem causes which kind of pain. I've also learned to avoid activities that aggravate those conditions. Fortunately, by the grace of God and the generosity of my family, I've been able to eliminate a lot of those painful situations.

And so... when I was asked to take this two day - 8 hours a day - class... I knew that the prolonged sitting was going to compress those two herniated/bulging discs. Out of all of the categories of pain that I experience... that feeling of vertebrae squishing disc is the most uncomfortable of them all... and honestly, the one I am least equipped to deal with. Once that gets aggravated, there isn't much I can do to resolve it, other that stay in the *one certain* position that provides the most relief. So my trade off was that AFTER taking the class, I would be given a nice super long weekend to recover.

The class was good. It was more of a marketing, sales process type of class. I know the basics ... I know them in my sleep... truly, there was one time that I was at a party and had a few cocktails and was ... let's just say that I wasn't at my usual level of sobriety... and I completely explained the auto insurance quoting process to another party-goer who was complaining about their car insurance rates. Literally. I know this stuff. However, the technology is constantly improving and I haven't really had the opportunity over the past few years to network with other agency team members or receive specific instruction about the advancements in our processes that our company is making. For that reason, the class was very, very good for me. I would almost describe it as going to State Farm church. Or a pep rally. There were about two dozen people with different roles in the organization, with different levels of training and tenure and we had sixteen hours to dialogue and expand our skills. Minus the pain - I LOVED it.

However... post class.... I am at a fresh level of hell with this pain. I'm glad I went but I'm also I planned a break afterwards because I desperately need it. And I'm so glad we set up Austin's trip for AFTER this weekend so he will be with me at the mountain house to tote that barge and lift that bale, as it were. I'm going to need his help - and he really has been uh-LOT of help lately.

We're transporting the family Christmas decoration collection to the BIG house this weekend so that we can decorate THAT house during the Thanksgiving weekend to enjoy over the holidays. Now that Austin and I have crashed my parents' empty nest, there's not a lot of room to decorate the Riverdale house. My car is small but it's just me and the kid and we have so much stuff at the mountain house that we pack fairly light... a favorite pillow... a few changes of clothes... meds... just the basics. We'll stock up on food when we get up there but the pantry is relatively well stocked with basics and spices now. I try to keep powdered creamer on hand so we don't have to rush out to get fresh creamer before that first morning cup of coffee. Anyways... Austin will be gone over Thanksgiving so he won't be around to help other than this weekend. Then... after Christmas... we can just leave the decorations at the mountain house.

I have a doctor's appointment on Monday morning... I plan to shop for a computer this weekend... and other than that... no obligations or responsibilities... sit and stare at the lake for most of five days in a row. Like a stay-cation, one hundred miles north... and hopefully the parts of my spine that are getting their revenge on me for asking too much of them over the past two days... will settle down and behave again.

Austin leaves Tuesday morning for Pennsylvania. He'll be gone for two weeks. My mom is off work all next week. I'll work Tuesday and Wednesday and be off for the four days after that. *sigh* Peaceful easy feeling... enjoying a little mini-intentional sabbatical... makes for a Thankful Thursday, indeed.
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