(Strutting Feathers. January 2007. Photo by Robin)

A couple of months ago I experienced a bad back injury. Shortly after I flunked physical therapy and finally got a definitive diagnosis through MRI, my husband I made a temporary move to a new town and state. This move, because of insurance complications, meant a month or two of waiting to be able to see a specialist.

I could have spent that month or so wallowing in my pain and taking the pain meds my primary care physician was kind enough to load me up with before the move. Instead, I bought a book, did some research on the internet, and designed my own program to help me heal. I designed my healing program after having spent some time with the pain, exploring it and learning what it was trying to say to me.

A month ago I was in such severe pain that I was loaded to the gills on pain meds. A month ago I couldn’t walk more than a few steps. A month ago I was curled up in a ball, crying, because even the pain meds offered no relief. A month ago I was angry about the unfairness of it all.

As it turned out, it wasn’t entirely unfair. I’ve spent a lot of my years abusing my body in various ways. I smoked for 27 years (on the plus side, I quit smoking 6 years ago and haven’t had a puff since). I drank too much. I was overweight (still overweight). I did not treat my body as the temple it is, the temple which houses my soul.

This past Saturday I spent almost an entire day walking and standing. It was a day of great fun and accomplishment. I walked about 5 miles. That’s pretty darn good for a woman who couldn’t walk more than 1mph on the treadmill for more than 5 minutes a little over a month ago.

I’ve done a lot of modifying: of exercises, of walking, of yoga stretches, and of life. I’m still modifying, learning, and healing. Best of all I’m learning to appreciate my body for the amazing creature that it is, a friend that has put up with a lot and still keeps going.

I set up this blog as a place where I can continue to open myself up to the bountifulness of healing. It’s a new year, with new resolutions, lifetime resolutions to respect and honor my body and my Self.

Copyright Stuff: One of the ways I’ve explored my pain and healing is through art. Some of that may appear here. And some may not. Unless otherwise stated, all photos are mine and may not be used, reproduced, etc., without my permission. The same goes for the writing.

Disclaimer stuff: I can not and will not advise on health issues. The plan I came up with was designed for me. What worked for me may not work for others. And I’m in no position to be advising people on health matters, having no degree in anything at all much less something health related.