Lousy rotten stinky crappy week
Well, that subject header says it all, doesn't it? :-) I won't go into a lot of detail here, because my daily dramas are different from your daily dramas, and the things that push my buttons aren't necessarily the things that push yours. I'll just say that my full-time job, my two part-time jobs (self-employed - or more to the point, self-inflicted - ones), my volunteer jobs, my school, and my home life are all conspiring to drive me up the proverbial wall. And succeeding grandly, I might add.
I saw the orthopedist for my second follow-up today. It was a frustrating visit, but now I have an MRI scheduled for Friday, so we'll know a little more about what's going on in one of the shoulders that's giving me so much grief. The doctor seems to want to operate, since steroid injections, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatories don't seem to provide any relief. In the meantime, my employer has okayed getting me a different desk, once they receive the letter from the doctor.
Why a different desk? Well, I'm 4'9". That's 57 inches tall, which translates to "not very." It's short enough to qualify me as a person of proportionate short stature, and thus eligible for membership in the Little People of America. I don't have any of the many forms of dwarfism, but I live in a world that is designed for much larger people. I can't reach things without a stepstool; my legs dangle from every couch or recliner I've ever tried to relax upon, not to mention most chairs; when I type at my desk, my hands are almost level with my shoulders. When I was a sophomore in college, my Calculus III class was in a room with these really tall desks, but there was carpeting on the floor, so I asked (and received) permission to sit there during lectures. I took a desk for exams, but for lectures, it was the floor for me. The upshot of all this is that I'm even more prone to repetitive stress injuries - like carpal tunnel syndrome and shoulder issues - than a person of so-called normal height. But the best things come in small packages, right? :-)
Tomorrow I have a meeting scheduled at the Norfolk Botanical Garden to discuss playing Irish music for them on my flute this Saturday, in honor of St. Patrick's Day. If the weather cooperates, the plan is to set up in the new Children's Garden, in which case, I will dress as a leprechaun. Maybe I'll even try to get them to pay for a little pot of gold for me - candy gold, of course, for the children. I think that would be fun!
So tonight, I'm thankful for simple things. Relaxing with the family for a television show. Fixing a little pot of soup for my dinner (leftover beef broth, leftover rice, leftover broccoli, and some minced onion and garlic - it was yummy comfort food), and reading a collection of Pearls Before Swine while I ate. The sustaining prayers of good friends when I reached out in frustration. A great big hug from my daugher when I tucked her in. The warm weather we've had the last couple days, and the big thunderstorms we're expecting tomorrow. And a place to let my hair down and be silly, which I plan to do as soon as I finish this post.
Tonight, I wish you all the peace and comfort of little things. May you notice the small things that are worth being thankful for, and may you appreciate them. And may we all try to be one of those small things to someone in our lives in the next day - a smile, a greeting, a hug, an email to an old friend, a phone call to a former coworker, a shout-out to a friend's blog. Peace be with you.
