Refreshed

Vacation is one of those love hate relationships. You love when it starts but you hate when it ends. I am so thankful to have had a few days away with Rich! I always feel so bad when he has to go back to work after he takes some time off but that is life. You have to work in order to be able to play and Rich works hard. It is very good for him to take some time away from all the stress and just relax. He left me a note this morning telling me that he felt refreshed so that is a good sign, now to get him away from the office more often will be the challenge.

I am very happy that Rich is refreshed and able to go back to work in a different frame of mind. You know how that is? You go on vacation and come back a new person, to some degree. It helps you to focus better, you don't feel worn out, and you are ready to get back to whatever it is you do. The question I have is, "How come I don't feel refreshed at all?" I had the same vacation Rich had. I did the same things he did but I still feel exhausted to the core. My fatigue went no where. My pain stayed and to be honest became worse because of riding in the car so much. My hip is hurting again which hasn't been a problem in a while. My foot is still painful. I had a migraine, slight as it was, it was still there. My neck pain is no better. I am still weak and become weaker the more I use my muscles.Yes, I had the same vacation as Rich but for me the vacation has left me no better off than before me left, at least from a physical standpoint. Although I enjoyed spending some alone time away with Rich I still believe life isn't fair, it never is. To get away from all the stresses of life is a good thing whether you are ill or not! I cannot stress that enough. Time away is still good.

I ended the vacation last night with the very very beginners yoga class. It went well and I learn a lot. We learned how we are suppose to stand and walk opposed to the way we all do it wrong. We worked on this the whole hour and believe me it is hard to try to stand the right way when you have done it wrong for so long. We are to work on this standing and walking thing all week and I am faithfully going to do it. Once we learned how to stand we learned how to walk. It is really awkward to say the least but I will tell you that walking the right way makes you move faster and feel like you are bouncing instead of dragging yourself along. It also releases the pain that you put on your muscles and your spine so it actually felt like you had less pain instantly.  I felt refreshed more after leaving the class than I had from the vacation. I am optimistic this may be the thing for me. The one exercise I may be able to do without causing more pain or major flares coming on after the fact. You see, when I do exercises the same exercises most people do, even for a short time, it can send me into a flare and I can be down for days. I have to be very careful what I do and how I do it. I hope this is my answer! When I left the class I decided I would sign up for the next class after this one which is called very beginners yoga. I am starting out s-l-o-w but that is what I need to do for myself. We are all different and we all must learn what works. It has been years for me and I am still trying to find it. The magic that works for me. I have tried many things and I will continue to do so until I find the one. I am hoping this is it! Yoga!


I am blessed among all the obstacles I face with chronic illness. I hope that you can feel the same way. I hope you can keep your mind headed in a positive direction with all you have to deal with. If we do not keep the focus on positive and goodness the battle becomes harder and it makes the illness even worse. I know on the days I am down and sad it affects my pain and weakness. Here's to you and me. Fighting this and keeping a smile on our face, in our hearts, and in our minds, that is the only way we are going to win this and become refreshed!

Namaste

Dianne