Well, my visit to the chiropractor was what is commonly known as a "wake-up call."
I had been having a minor issue with my left hip when I was running. It didn't really concern me all that much. When we were preparing for our 1/2, it would occasionally feel a little out of whack. But if I stretched it good before my run, it was usually just fine. Then, last summer, after carrying and delivering a 10 pound baby, my pelvis was definitely in the "whacked" category. That brought on my original three visits to the chiro. That seemed to do the trick. He told me to come in for maintenance every so often. But I didn't because I am a subscriber to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," line of thinking. So, it wasn't causing me any serious grief, just minor annoyance, but I thought it couldn't harm my running to get my hip snapped back where it belongs.
(Btw, this isn't all leading up to a cancer announcement, or anything, so you can slow down, and READ this.)
Tuesday, I go in, and the Doctor starts working away. Like two seconds into the appointment he tells me that my pelvis is way crooked. Okay. Tell me something new. That is why I'm here. Then, he is rubbing my back, and he tells me that he can see I have had a lot of stress in my life lately. Something about how knotted everything is. No kidding. My life is not stressful. Seriously?=) So he popped, and pounded, and pulled, and lectured. He told me that I have to relax. Now, I have to admit that in actually going to visit the chiropractor, he is not seeing me at my finest. I get a bit tense with all that popping. I mean, how can that actually be GOOD for you? Anyway, I digress. He told me that I need to take some time every day and burn some candles, read a book, take an uninterrupted bath. For a half an hour! I laughed out loud at that. What mom has a half hour everyday for an uninterrupted soak in the tub? Leave it to a man to imagine that is even in the realm of possibility.=) But, the more serious thing is my hip/pelvis. If I don't get some relaxation on a regular basis, the stress on my hip/pelvis could pop out a disk. And that would not be a good thing. The options are regular adjustments (get it fixed in the next few visits, and then maintain every 6-8 weeks) and take some time to relax everyday, or face the possibility of having to rest. Flat on my back. Unable to do anything without some major pain. (he likened it to labor pains) What seems like the better option to you?The reason I know he is right, is, because after our hectic weekend, Mr. Hippie told me I should take the day off. My response was, "off from what?" School? Laundry? Grocery shopping? Paperwork? Bible Study? This was very frustrating to me. Just taking a break from school is not hardly going to put a dent in what I had to do. Our week of spring break was great. It was a break from school, BC, and Bible study. But I still studied, grocery shopped, sewed, cleaned, got ready for a party, and cooked. Responsibilities seem to loom over my head like a hammer. My life is a tightrope walk-get everything done, or fall into the abyss. That is a rather bleak picture. It is not sustainable. And, furthermore, I don't want to sustain it.
Pre-Meres, I had a quiet time scheduled into our day. Everyday. Usually from 1-3 in the afternoon. It was time for the kids to be in their rooms (theoretically) reading. Regardless, it was rather quiet, and I got to rest and read. This year I haven't felt like I had time for a quiet time. Who has time for a quiet time when there is schooling, and cooking, and cleaning, and caring for a baby, and paperwork, and studying, and blogging, and running, and swimming, and...____to be done?
I came home from the chiropractor and I ached. My back was sore all over. I went to bed fairly early. Yesterday it still hurt. I even took ibuprofen for some relief. My back hasn't been this achy since I was pregnant, or since I put my back out several years ago. I swam this morning. Something popped in my back towards the end of my swim making my it feel a bit better. But my hip is still not overly happy. So, I chose prudence over valor in my run today. This close to our race, and I don't want to screw everything up.Once again I am adjusting my lifestyle. The past two days proved to me that I can't afford NOT to rest.
I am going to readjust our day for at least one of hour down time every day. Every day. No exceptions.
This will make me rest. It will give me time to read. And, hopefully it will be good for all of us.
I am a swimmer. Usually I swim laps. But, every once in a while, I climb into a pool with my family-for fun. And then I inevitably spend some time doing the back float. I'm telling you, one of the most relaxing things for me to do is to back float. You can't float unless you take a deep breath and relax. If you try to float, you will sink. Close your eyes, stretch your legs out, open your hands above your head, and float. Ahhh...
Quiet time is going to be my "deep breath, relax, and just float" time.
