Quiet Day

It seemed today was meant to be a ‘quiet’ day, even though I hadn’t thought it would be. So be it.

I did get the ‘black’ mats pressed, and in spite of minor issues with them, I’m going to consider them ‘done’.

Yesterday I cut off the first batch of mats from the next warp, and – if I can find one more spoon – will see if I can get them at least cut apart and serged, and if not, I will tie the warp back onto the apron rod. TBD.

Having physical issues that prevent one of getting stuff done means that you have to be constantly in tune with your body. Can you do this? No? OK. How about that, instead? Maybe? OK, we’ll give it a try then.

So I managed the pressing because I have rearranged how I do it.

A previous massage therapist was always telling me that I needed to do more standing because I sat so much every day. So all my non-weaving tasks were centered around standing – standing to wind warps, standing to wind bobbins, standing to inspect and repair, standing to cut apart and serge, standing to press.

Now? I simply cannot (yet?) do that. So in order to press, I need to ask Doug to set up the drying rack (too heavy/awkward for me to carry it from storage room to studio). Then I get a small table to set beside me to put the finished items to lay flat. I find a bin to put the items to *be* pressed in so the bin can sit next to the press protecting them from the overspray of the spritz bottle to dampen them for pressing. I drag the tall stool I weave on over so that I can park myself on the stool, take an item from the bin, lay it out on the press bed and spritz it, then press, adjust and repeat until done. Then it gets set on the table until I’m done and manage to stand long enough to drape the items over the drying rack.

But hey, I can still get it done! It takes longer. More energy. More effort. But that is what it takes these days.

Do I have hope things will improve? Yes. That is why I persist in heading to massage/physio and try to do the exercises/stretches they give me. Because I know that *they* can only help me by showing me what I need to do. The rest is up to me.

Yes, it hurts. It hurts like hell. Especially now that my back injections appear to have worn off (can’t have anything to do with the multiple dental appointments I needed). 🙁

But I also understand ‘therapeutic’ pain. That in order to help my muscles heal, I must ‘exercise’ them. Stretch them. Rest them. I have given up on regaining where I was, even as little as 2+ years ago. But I would like more ‘comfort’ in my body. And the only way to do that is to keep going. Keep trying. Keep finding ways for me to continue to weave until I get there.