So lately I’ve been hurting.  A lot.  My hips, my back, my neck.  And my chiropractor can’t figure out what’s wrong.  My rheumatoid factor is high (but just barely), and my muscles are hypertonic (super-severely tight).  I’m on a magnesium supplement and use magnesium spray, I’m putting theralgesic on the tough spots, and I borrowed some muscle relaxers from a friend to see if those will help (shh…don’t tell).  But the little thing that I’m so grateful for, especially now that the weather is starting to turn cold, is my heating pad.  It relaxes those muscles.  It doesn’t heal anything, but it sure does feel good.

I turned 40 in June.  I don’t look it, but I do feel it.  I spent the whole month celebrating because I’ve made it this far.  I went to dinner with several different people on different days, I went to see several different movies, and I even got taken to a water park spa and sauna that was absolutely amazing.  The things that most women are afraid of about getting older don’t scare me.  I have gray hairs – so I get my stylist to cover them.  I have very few wrinkles – my Native American heritage and oily skin mean I might never get them.  My breasts are starting to sag a bit and my hips are starting to spread – but a good pair of Spanx and a good bra can fix all that.  Those things don’t bother me.  But the pain.  The pain of getting older scares me.  And if I hurt this much at 40, what am I going to feel like at 60?  or 80 if I live that long?

Sorry.  For a first blog in two years, I probably should have been a little more uplifting.  But yesterday I had to go to our chiropractor on campus and get my neck adjusted so I could drive home.  It was magical.  Then at choir practice last night, my right hip felt like someone was shoving an icepick in it.  I could hardly walk when I stood up.  It’s what is on my mind.  I’m going to go walk around my classroom now and stretch.  And maybe use the heating pad I brought to school.  Heating pads are awesome.  It’s the little things.