October 9 – “Missing the Tired Ache”

I made another attempt at being a normal homeowner yesterday.  I never have been very good at being a “normal” anything, but we sure had some serious yard work that had to get done.  Chris was staying with some of Kel’s kids up in LaMarque, and I got to a stopping place in my preparations for the weekend teachings.  So outside I went.

My first task was yet another attack on the stickerburs in the vacant lot next door.  I am trying to extend my influence over to where the city’s tree is, about half way across the yard.  I agreed to see that the tree was watered, so maybe if I take care of the yard as well, some miracle will happen and the land will magically become ours.  I’ve heard there is a process for doing that, but who has extra money laying around for a lawyer these days.  Anybody need some pro bono hours?

As I was scooping up my huge pile of debris (yes, there were that many sticker burs), I began to get really hot, my heart started racing and I had a little trouble breathing.  One thing I have finally learned … in that situation it does no good to keep going just a while longer and finish the job.  The old mantra of “No pain, no gain” just doesn’t apply any longer.  When I get that far, I have to stop, at least for a while.  Even though all I had left was to roll the trash can into the back yard. Well, and to mow.  So I came inside and crashed in the A/C. 

Chris got home some time later, and I decided I was recovered enough to finish with the mowing.  It went pretty fast, and it was cloudy, so the heat didn’t nail as badly.  I gotta say, though, by the time I finished … I was finished.  I managed to cool down and get a shower, but for the rest of the evening, my shoulder was in some pretty serious pain.  Enough that Chris encouraged me to at least take some Tylenol.  When we went to bed I added a pain pill to me regimen, but even with that it took me quite a while to get to sleep.  It’s not too bad this morning, but we have water therapy here in a few minutes.  Not really looking forward to it.  I long for the good old days when working in the yard just resulted in a good old-fashioned “tired ache.” 

Psalms 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Father, as much as it pains me to say it, thank you for the pain.  I know it’s there to communicate with me.  I just need some help understanding what exactly it is saying.  Amen.