September 11th and Not So Joyful Movement

I can’t believe it’s been 22 years. I had completely forgotten that today was 9/11. How is that possible?

I’m wondering if somewhere in my brain or body I did know because I did not sleep at all last night. When I realized what day it was I felt overwhelming sadness for a time. Of course, being tired often leads to me being weepy.

I, like everybody else who was old enough, remember exactly what I was doing that morning 22 years ago. I was working for the Department of Defense then, and we were all sent home when the Pentagon got hit and we stayed home for three days. I still feel that trauma sometimes.  

My lack of sleep could also be that I physically overdid it yesterday. I got quite a few things done including a visit to Dollar Tree, where very few things are still a dollar. I got a bunch of things that were mostly practical, but I had fun despite how hard it has become to walk or even stand for very long. I’m really struggling with that right now.

I also got some writing done yesterday.  During my Sunday afternoon writing group sprints I used most of the time to actually start my subplot outline. I’ve been putting it off for so long that it felt daunting but since I promised my accountability partner that I would work on it this month I had to start and so I just dove in.

I wanted to get it all done but that didn’t quite happen. However, I did get some ideas about how to integrate certain scenes. That is a big win.

I also got a few letters and a birthday card written and put in the mail, so a lot of writing was done. I am really proud of myself for getting that done. It felt really good.

This then brings me back to why I had such a terrible night. I know I sit way too much. I work for 8 hours a day and then I sit down to write for a couple more. On the weekends I’m not working but I still read and write for hours. This difficulty moving kind of crept up on me over time while I was doing all this sitting and wasn’t paying attention.

I can’t ignore it anymore.

I know I need to move more, but it hurts to move now so I’m stuck in a vicious cycle…it hurts if I don’t move, and it hurts when I do. Added to the problem is that the humidity here makes my joints ache like I never experienced back in Colorado, and it gets worse when we are expecting rain.

When did I become one of those old codgers that can predict rain because my knee aches?

I’ve been taking over-the-counter pain meds, I’ve started doing some extensive stretching, and I get a massage every month, but I think I may need more help. Now that I have new health care coverage I’m going to try and make an appt with a medical practice Tennessee recommended.

Also, I have an accountability partner for my writing, maybe I need one for my moving. I’d ask Tennessee but that is just asking for stress and strife and no relationship needs that.  We only have a couple of weeks left until the Pink and Brandi concert and there will be lots of walking required then, so I need to try and be as ready for that as I can.

Wish me luck.