Sunday Stroke Survival: Making Mud Pies

As much as I've complained about my difficulties moving around because of the mud, this week I was having fun making mud pies intentionally. With all the rain we've had, the garden area is staying high and almost dry with all of it. Not a single mud puddle in the whole area. The soil is that great for growing in. I actually made a layer of mud pies to plant in.   The garden is now halfway planted and additional summer crops (started indoors) will fill it up with yummy goodies for us. A year before I moved here, Mel made a video of her flooded garden. Boy, what a difference of time and labor wrought.

The same can be said living post stroke. Sometimes you have little choice to make mud pies where the heavy torrential rains (adversity) come. None of us like it very much, but our ideal choice is swept away in the flood. Still, the flooding can't last forever. It will gradually abate and the waters will drain away. That's just life in general, isn't it? It ebbs and flows between bad times and good ones.

Sometimes, you have to make mud pies and make a horrible situation better. At least you're having fun in the midst f it or you'd cry out in despair. I'm in that position now with my spasticity. I need to go to therapy for dry needling to reduce the escalating pain I'm feeling with a good stretch. The problem is our county is in lockdown mode with the COVID-19 virus (now in week 3). All nonessential appointments are canceled for the duration. I've tried the hot showers, I'm taking my medication, but I'm back in pain mode until at least the end of April...possibly longer. ARGH!

So, I'm trying distraction. Is it a distraction if it has to be done anyhow? I'm planting the garden and tending it closer
than I should be at this point in time. I'm plucking weeds for the bunny rabbits we have left. It's only a few ounces per day until they get through transitioning off the commercial, winter feed. But we only have two rabbits left, Buddy Baby and Cara, instead of the eleven this time last year. So I can go slow because of my pain levels. This time last year, I was schedule for a Baclofen pump placement to combat my spastcity. SIGH! You readers know how that turned out.

Everyone is facing hardships now. But they are short lived because the end is in sight. Everyone else will go back to their jobs even if they hate them with gusto. I will have to stand in line with others needing outpatient therapy waiting to be put back in the queue. It only took two months the last two times for this to happen. But, it's not like it will be never ending pain without the hope of a reprieve. Of course, there will be the lucky few that will have aged out of the need for therapy. I will get my appointment before those unlucky new atients behind me needing therapy. So I won't be stuck in the mud as long as they will be.

Still, I'm looking at several weeks like this with the painful spasms increasing until then. So until then, I'm making mud pies in the garden trying to keep my mind and body focused n other things. I'm still picking up kindling (twigs and branches) for the wood stove. There are still a few chilly days and nights ahead before the temperatures stabilizes warm constantly. Even so, kindling can be stored in the barn.workshop until its needed later. The cockeyed critters still need to be cared for and life goes on

Nothing is impossible.