My dog, Sir Jackson Poodlen – or just Jack – has a bad hip too. I never thought about this correlation between us until today, Jack is a 6 year old puppy mill rescue who loves to play, run, jump and everything else that dogs like to do. He goes all in, full force.
Yes yes yes, I know he’s a dog, but I was thinking about myself today and he caught my eye.
It snowed last night, it’s freezing cold and wet; which means my hips and joints are shot. Even as I was just waking up I knew today was going to be a rough one. Jack’s hips are horrible in the cold, like peoples; he gets tight and I’m sure experiences from discomfort. Does this stop the lil man?
Hell No! This morning he ran around in the snow, chasing his brother and trying to play. Then he zoomed up the stairs to breakfast. He spent most of his morning jumping on and off the bed with toys, and just being his playful self.
What do I take from this? If my lil dog – who has to pee in the cold – can still run around and play like no tomorrow; then I sure as hell can force some movement and get out there. Sometimes, like Jack; we need to put our pain in the back of our heads to have fun. To play a little.
It’s Monday, it snowed, it’s wet, it’s cold and every bone in my body wants to be lazy – but lazy does not get anything accomplished. Lazy breeds more pain, more hopelessness, more stagnate activity, and more depression. This is what I’ve never understood;
Chronic pain doctors (CPD) = you have lupus = you need to limit your activities.
Limiting my activities + more time to think = stress; and what do we know for sure here STRESS = FLARES.
CPD = limit your activities + take it easy on your body + pain medications. This is an equation for disaster!
<activities + >pain meds + easy on the body = unhealthy body.
Unhealthy body = depression. Depression = stress = flares.
Something I am very passionate about is keeping your body going for you while you suffer with a chronic illness. Chronic (being long-lasting) this shit isn’t goin away. I will have this forever, someday this will kill me (sorry J) and someday – not today – this could fully limit my activities. If someday I am going to be fully limited by disease, why the heck would I start to limit myself now!?
So…. For today – let’s all be a lil Jack; its national nap day, its cold, it snowed; but we have our health, we have movement, and we have each other.
Thinking happy + doing things + leaning on each other, if needed = Owning the day.
I never want to go to bed not knowing I didn’t try to own the day.
Amen, sister!