No Pain, No Gain

I've been having this weird sensation in my left arm. It started as a knot underneath my left shoulder blade; a place it regularly shows up when I'm stressed. Hubs usually puts pressure on it once per day 'til it sees fit to leave; usually 4 days later. This knot, however, got worse every time Hubs touched it (which will turn out to be a good excuse for his absent back rubs, I'm sure). Soon, I couldn't even find where the knot was located because it was buried in the pain which radiated up and down my shoulder blade. I could only get relief when I'd put pressure on another totally unrelated location behind my shoulder and behind my elbow. The final straw came at the end of weeks of dealing with this when my fingers got tingly and numb.

So I made an acupuncture appointment and went to the first one last week. My appointment was 2 hours 45 minutes long. She took my entire physical and emotional history. She did diagnostic tests that consisted of waving a hot wand over my fingers and toes to measure the balance on my two sides. She took a pulse from each of my wrists and could tell there was a difference in the two sides of my body that indicated something wrong. In the end I was told that I have toxins in my body that need to be realeased. Once the toxins are released, she needs to clear a block that is not allowing my arm to heal naturally through energy transport through my body. All this, of course, with the use of needles.

I had needles running up and down my back that were inserted through a plastic sheath that punctures a mere 1/8 or less of an inch into my skin. Some I didn't even feel, others felt like I was getting stabbed. Where there was pain, there were toxins that were using the needle as a medium to exit my body. She used another series of needles on my wrist and then on my underarms; obviously a very tender part of my body.

The wrist needles didn't hurt a bit until she barely turned them and pulled them out. It felt as though she was pulling something out of my arm. And the same went for the underarm torture. I felt as though she'd stabbed my heart through my underarm and then she pulled it out with the needles. I'm obviously being dramatic because there wasn't even a needle mark left in its place. And like I said, they were in less than 1/8 of an inch. But if the pain was any measure of the amount of toxins in there, I think she's in for a flood of toxin release.

I have another appointment in 45 minutes to release the remaining toxins she couldn't remove with the first appointment. I hope this treatment is the last because I am feeling a bit anxious about it. But just as a follow-up, these past days were the first of many many days that I didn't have pain in my shoulder when I sneezed or coughed. I think that's a good sign.

I will report the follow-up tomorrow.

Biking Betty

I think I'll be a Biking Betty this summer. Our sleepy little town of Helena becomes a mountain biking mecca for many during the summer. And I haven't, admittedly, taken advantage of the greatness that is the biking circuit here in my own home town because of the fear factor that gets me every time. But this summer is going to be that summer where I look fear in the eye and then I'm going to kick his ask.

And to start, I'm going to join the ladies group called Biking Betties that goes every Tuesday at 5:30 to ride the trails in Helena. I have no doubt that it'll only prove to help my skills immensely and maybe by the end of the summer, I will do a ride without getting bruised.

I went this morning for the first time this year. And I fell enough times to appreciate the value of being upright. But I didn't fall enough to increase my fear factor. So, I can safely say that I just want to get back in the saddle again and show that mountain that it ain't gonna get me for long!

On Her Own Time

I haven't had anyone really close to me have a baby in my life; nor have I had one myself. But my BFF, the one with whom I share everything including my brain, is having a baby and she's overdue by at least 6 days and counting. I am quite excited, nervous, anxious to finally meet the little girl who will look like, act like, and learn from my BFF which means she'll most definitely be an amazing, beautiful, smart little girl. OH and did I mention stubborn?

We've taken walks; we've eaten spicy food; we've even threatened to take her on the back of a bus down York Road to bounce her out. No show. BFF's done squats, yoga, walked down the block bouncing up and down on the curb looking undoubtedly ridiculous. Nothing. BFF and the Papa have practiced some other unmentionably personal things. To no avail. BFF has pushed on her belly and gotten foot rubs and generally just practiced everything in the book to persuade that little girl out of her growing belly. NADA. I've tried to coax her out with song, dance and discussion. Still nothing.

I think she's just stubborn.

My prediction for this child is that she'll just do things on her own time. Like her Mama.

Nostalgia

I shared my plans with Hubs about a month ago while on vacation to find high school BFF and surprise her with a call. I predicted that although we hadn't been in contact for a Good Long Time, that we would be snotty-nosed and crying with laughter as we discussed the memorably idiotic things we did together as teens.

Not surprisingly, I forgot about these plans when I returned home to Life and its craziness that got in the way of any well-laid plans.

And then last week, I got a call from a friend from law school with whom I regularly studied, out of the blue. I was shocked and elated at connecting with someone from my past. So, I vowed to finally get in touch with high school BFF to have that same reconnection with her. THIS MORNING while in the shower where I do my best thinking (and burping, but that's another story), I decided today is the day to do some searching online and do some calling of her family whom I knew to still be back in The Bis where we grew up.

I'm sure, Internet, you can figure out where I'm going from here - I got to my office this morning to three phone messages; one of which was BFF! NO kidding! I barely finished the message before I hastily dialed the return call. We connected and spoke for a good 40 minutes as though no time had passed between us. And I was right - we snortled and chortled and tears rolled down my cheeks as we discussed the significant and very important times we shared in high school.

And then, of course, we shared the more important times in our adult lives as well - houses, marriages, a BABY! But the connection I felt to BFF and our past was almost tangible. There is something to be said about having someone in my life that has a record of me at a time when I didn't quite know myself. It was a reminder that I've come a long way since that time and that I'd love to go back and have those chortling snorting tear-filled kinds of laughs again. I vowed to keep in touch with high school BFF and make some new memories that we could laugh heartily about when we're much much older.

2 Days Notice

Hubs is heading out east for his field work sometime this week. It's been emotional just to think of him leaving the house and not actually residing here with me for a long time. I know this is best for us and we'll get through this fabulously and probably be closer than we are now. And it might actually be fun (remind that I said that when I'm whining about not seeing him for weeks at a time). NOT FUN that I'll be missing my partner, my best friend, my lover for weeks at a time; but fun that I'll get to know a couple other cities when I spend $4+ per gallon to visit him in Glasgow and Calgary; the latter of which might take me 4 years to know and the former of which I might know in 2.2 hours.

Needless to say, the anticipation and uncertainty of it all is the worst part of growing accustomed to this arrangement (I hope). However, I'm still anticipating it and I'm still uncertain so maybe I don't have any authority yet to declare what has been the worst part.

To make matters worse, two days (today) before he leaves town to start field work (Wednesday) near Glasgow and live in a trailer donated (for free) to his study by one of the funding partners, he was informed that the trailer is no longer available and he has to find an apartment to live. I'm a bit ambivalent about this for good reason. It could be nice because I will be able to visit him and stay in a place that has flushing toilets and a shower. But it might not be so nice because although apartments may be cheap in Glasgow, they are not cheaper than free and Hubs will be making exactly ZERO dollars for the next 4 years.

And thus, I'm anticipating what he will find for an apartment with 2 days notice and I'm uncertain how we'll pay for it.

Such is life for the next 4 years ...

Home

Wow! It's been a long time. I'm back Internet. I'll post more later about the Trials of The Brief, but for now, I have to say that it's really nice to be home.