New Day

This morning has been a 180 degree difference from yesterday when I woke up. I attibute it to my back being pain-free. Advil PM is a wonderful thing. I avoid medications as much as possible because of their potential collateral damage. But I really needed it this time.

I took the above photo 15 minutes ago. It's proof that better days are coming. In my little corner of the world the winter has been long and hard, hard like stone; the ground indistinguishable in substance from the rocks and pavement.

I recall during the early days of winter how like the season my emotions were. The Spring thaw still more than two months away. At the time, with no hope for an easy out, I could do nothing but accept the circumstances and deal with it the best I could.

While in the middle of adversity, that's all we can do - dig deep into ourselves and find tools, MacGuyver-like, that we can use to stay alive. Some days, simply staying alive mentally is the main goal. Some days, just shoveling a path to the mailbox is the main thing; making the rest of the world accessible to you.

Take a good look at today's photo. Beside the daffodil is a little pile of remaining snow. A small reminder to cherish the coming warm days.

In the same way, my back pain makes me cherish feeling healthy.