Or one brick.
Or a little stone.
Cut to the chase and I’ll spare bloody details…I’m sitting here waiting to pass a kidney stone. I did this a year ago so I got a little weepy as I asked the walk-in clinic for some drugs (of the non-narcotic variety, so they were happy to oblige with a quick shot in the arse). I have a stash of my own (thank you very much, Dr. Urologist), so I’ve got the lot of them spread out on the counter and am keeping the anti-inflammatory loaded in my system.
The other piece of news is that I’m nursing a thumb injury. Simple can turn complicated and all encompassing when it comes to thumbs. This one wasn’t healing any too quickly, so I got a steroid injection earlier this week. Part of my work is manual therapy to these hands need to work.
The injection isn’t really doing the job yet, but by last night the addition of the NSAID for the kidney stones was allowing my hand to feel pretty good.
Until I went to pick up a light blanket on the couch. I actually saw stars and thought I was going to wet my pants (or maybe that was the kidney stone talking); it hurt. A lot.
So what better to do on this lovely Sunday than write a blog post about…balance. Now that I’m warmed up, my left hand is typing pretty well (except for the thumb which apparently I don’t use in typing).
As a wellness practitioner, someone who has made a living talking about the effects of stress on our lives I have often said that it does not matter how Type-A you are, the Type-B side ultimately is in control. As the yoga practitioner that specializes in the non-working forms of yoga I echo the same sentiment; in your Yang dominated lifestyle, the Yin will always win. You see, we can all glorify the art of busyness, get shit done, work ourselves into the ground, stash away some funds for a rainy day…
…and sooner or later that ton of bricks, that tidal wave, that wrecking ball, that hurricane, that Mack Truck (see, the metaphors are plentiful!) will just come out of nowhere (such a skewed perception) and knock us down. Put us in bed. Lay us up. Institutionalize us. Our patiently mending and quiet side rules (they have pharmaceuticals to help us start the process). The side that receives care and saying thank-you-very-much comes out of hiding.
That’s what I’m doing this weekend.
Unfortunately I may have dug myself into a little hole and am hoping to mend faster.
According to Katrina Ryan, LAc,
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, health is achieved by living in balance with nature and the seasons. Winter, the season of the Water Element, is the season for slowing down, reflecting, and conserving our resources. We all feel this tendency, but we don’t always listen to our bodies. In Western culture, being active is rewarded and expected. We feel compelled to keep up the hectic pace that is typical in our daily lives.
This season is associated with the kidneys, bladder, and adrenal glands and the time of year when these organs are most active, accessible, and even vulnerable. They are more receptive to being restored, nurtured, and energized. At the same time, it is also when they can become easily depleted.
All this I know, and actually choose to neglect. I came off of the holidays and began the year hammering hard. Sunday workshop. Weekend retreat. Honoring the calls for everyone’s New Year’s Resolutions. Training. Scheduling through June (whaaaat?).
Work when the working is good. Get ready for vacation. Plan for the next thing. Eat, sleep, repeat.
It’s actually a little easier to write about all this than it is to look at this week’s schedule…and begin cancelling sessions.
And there is something about writing it down that shows just how much that needs to be done.
It’s been exactly two months since I committed to walking a segment of the 
I came home from work early. Not as in “earlier than I was supposed to” or “earlier than usual”. Just…early.
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