Killing me with kindness
Today, I was outside raking the leaves that had piled up knee-deep. You could barely see the walkway. (Ack! The cat jumped on my arm as I was typing and caused the entry to post. I am i the process of finishing the entry now!)
Since Lee had to work overtime this week, I decided, as part of my physical therapy routine, I would help rake the leaves by doing small amounts every day. It would help strengthen my upper body gradually.
I brought the dogs outside as well and tied them with forty -foot leads. They had fun frolicking through the piles and undoing my work as I raked. Eventually, I had cleared out the flowerbed and formed two large piles of leaves in the upper triangle of the lawn, and cleared off the walkway as well. Pleased with my initial effort, I decided that would be enough for the day, when our neighbor, Stephen, came over and offered to help. I laughed and gently refused.
"Don't you have anything better to do?" I teased.
"No, I've finished all my work. I'll just go grab a rake," he said and disappeared, returning almost instantly with a rake.
At this point, how could I say no? It was so sweet and kind of him to offer. (Or perhaps our leaves were driving him crazy and he wanted them gone! Who knows?)
"So how do you want to do this? Do you plan to bag them or..." he asked.
"Err, I thought I would leave the bagging for another day. I thought I would form them into piles today."
"Why don't we make one big pile in the corner by the curb?"
I stared to the far, far end of the lawn - a distance that seemed to be receding.
"Um, sure," I agreed reluctantly.
It is very hard to explain to people that a person (me) with fibromyalgia and spinalstenosis and an ongoing neurological problem means you have to take things very slowly. Inhumanly slow. I don't want to do things in ten installments, but I have to or my body fails me. But I felt obligated to continue! Here was my kind neighbor working his butt off in my yard. I could hardly sit down and have him finish by himself.
We finally finished the front yard. I thanked him and he ambled on home. Then I went inside and crawled onto the couch, the pain still in the background. By the evening, I was ready to sob. Everything hurt so much!
It is now two a.m. and I am fighting the inevitable migraine from using my right arm too much. With the best of intentions, my neighbor killed me with kindness.
Since Lee had to work overtime this week, I decided, as part of my physical therapy routine, I would help rake the leaves by doing small amounts every day. It would help strengthen my upper body gradually.
I brought the dogs outside as well and tied them with forty -foot leads. They had fun frolicking through the piles and undoing my work as I raked. Eventually, I had cleared out the flowerbed and formed two large piles of leaves in the upper triangle of the lawn, and cleared off the walkway as well. Pleased with my initial effort, I decided that would be enough for the day, when our neighbor, Stephen, came over and offered to help. I laughed and gently refused.
"Don't you have anything better to do?" I teased.
"No, I've finished all my work. I'll just go grab a rake," he said and disappeared, returning almost instantly with a rake.
At this point, how could I say no? It was so sweet and kind of him to offer. (Or perhaps our leaves were driving him crazy and he wanted them gone! Who knows?)
"So how do you want to do this? Do you plan to bag them or..." he asked.
"Err, I thought I would leave the bagging for another day. I thought I would form them into piles today."
"Why don't we make one big pile in the corner by the curb?"
I stared to the far, far end of the lawn - a distance that seemed to be receding.
"Um, sure," I agreed reluctantly.
It is very hard to explain to people that a person (me) with fibromyalgia and spinalstenosis and an ongoing neurological problem means you have to take things very slowly. Inhumanly slow. I don't want to do things in ten installments, but I have to or my body fails me. But I felt obligated to continue! Here was my kind neighbor working his butt off in my yard. I could hardly sit down and have him finish by himself.
We finally finished the front yard. I thanked him and he ambled on home. Then I went inside and crawled onto the couch, the pain still in the background. By the evening, I was ready to sob. Everything hurt so much!
It is now two a.m. and I am fighting the inevitable migraine from using my right arm too much. With the best of intentions, my neighbor killed me with kindness.