Happy New Year!

Dear Dumplin,

Happy New Year!  I know, I know.  Weeks ago I said I was back to writing regularly.  I must have jinxed myself.  As soon as I said that, I hurt my neck and shoulder.  You know what I find interesting?  I realize that this is not the first time I’ve hurt myself or have been sick during this time of year.  Coincidence?  Nope, there’s no such thing.  Which means I need to slow down and pace myself because I’m burning out every year around the same time.

You know how sometimes you sleep funny and wake up with a stiff neck?  That’s what happened to me.  The problem was that this stiff neck never went away.  I walked around with it all day and it radiated down my shoulder and sometimes down my arm.  Not fun.  At one point I could not move my head to the right side at all.  I could not drive, and could not sleep without a lot of pain.  I finally took myself to the doctor.   She said I sprained my neck badly but would need physical therapy.  Physical therapy?  Me?  Ok.

So off I went to physical therapy.  I’m still going to physical therapy three times a week. During this process I’ve learned so much about good health, what I’m doing correctly, and what I need to improve on right away.   As I go through this experience, I feel really old.  I mentioned this to one of my therapists and was quickly corrected.  This has nothing to do with my age but everything to do with my job.  I learned that neck and shoulder injuries are very common with people who have desk jobs and type a lot. That means anyone who types a lot or stares at a computer all day, will get some type of injury if they aren’t diligent in making sure that their spines are aligned and if they are not getting up to stretch and drink water regularly throughout the day.  In fact, I learned that I should be getting up to stretch every hour.  I certainly was not doing that before this experience.  I also learned that I have to do my best to sleep in a way that keeps my spine straight.  No more sleeping in a comfy ball for me!

I’m working on all of these things because I want to make sure I can run and play with you for many more years.  In the meantime, I will be writing to you as my body allows.  As I get better, I will write more.

Love,

Mama

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