Wait For It

Today I received an acupressure massage by a therapist that was recommended to me. This therapist is an older Chinese fellow who come highly recommended. The point of issue is my shoulder as well as my right hip, but mainly my shoulder. But wait, didn't I get acupuncture on my shoulder and that provided relief? Yes it did and now there is another layer. The therapist stated that my shoulders down to my elbows are very tight and my elbows are jammed. Plus, my muscles are rippled: no flow. There's that flow word again! Bottom line is that I have tight muscles that need un-tightening.

What caused all this shoulder (and hip) tightness? The fact I played fastball (and pitched windmill) since I could pretty much walk? The hundreds of curling rocks I threw over the years? My "former" Type A personality combined with way too high stressload? How about Kung Fu with it's repetitive motion and gazillions of pushups? Weapons! And then there's Tai Chi, that's definitely a contribution! All of the above? I think more accurately all of the above AND failure to implement proper self care. Failure due to lack of knowledge, lack of resources, over abundance of ego, and just plain boneheadedness of "muscling through". Worked really well for me, didn't it? So now I get to unravel years of repetitive injury be it through physical or emotional means. The bottom line is that many factors contributed to my cranky shoulder and hip so I'm inplementing a variety of treatments (chiropractic, acumassage, and acupuncture) to get me unraveled and with flow. And since I didn't get this way overnight, it's going to take longer than overnight to heal. Translation: "Patience Grasshopper, Patience", something that can be trying for a "former" Type A. What's that phrase I've heard a time or two?Oh yes, progressing wisely. I think that too has layers.

I've also been thinking about the phrase "finish strong" and what that means to me. Does it mean that I bang off numerous repetitions just to pass a number? Not for this cowgirl. To me it means to keep on going, fix what needs fixing, learn from my mistakes, keep what works, and keep my focus on what I want to achieve. To me goals are the steps to form that habits of the traits of the person I want to become. Makes sense to me. Rock on and rock it out.

Sherri Donohue
Hot Torch, Room Full of Glass, and a Kung Fu Kwoon