Nudgings and Keep On Keeping On

Doofy cat on his throne (the back on my recliner) after wreaking havoc all over the house.  You can see some of his handiwork on the floor there.

Do you feel it?  That nudging to stock up your pantry, medicine cabinet and everyday household needs like toilet paper, shampoo, deodorant, etc?

I don't feel "safe" unless I have a good stock of things here in our home.  Maybe it is because of having so little in times of financial crisis in the past.  Maybe it is because of being raised on a small island where everything had to be shipped in and having lived through shortages.  Maybe it is because I know that my reality, living in a small town with no grocery stores and dealing with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome among other illnesses on a daily basis means that I may not be able to get to the stores to get what I want and need at any moment.  But maybe, it is God nudging me to have my storehouse in order for any and all possibilities.

My crazy fur babies depend on Jeff and I to keep them fed, groomed and taken care of.  We need to make sure that they have what they need.  Wouldn't it be nice not to have to worry about things like they do?  They trust that we will always take good care of them, that their food dish will be full, their water bowls will have fresh water and that the kitties will have a clean litter box.  Treats will be handed out on a regular basis...just because...  😁

Those nudgings also push me to keep on keeping on.  Living with the illnesses that I do means that my energy is limited and that at any moment, I may crash and/or have a flare up.  I do try to pace myself and I look at what I have coming up activity and commitment wise each week and plan accordingly.  

This week I had Rachel and Steven over yesterday and Praise God, I was having the best day with the lowest amount of pain I have had in ages.  I also had quite a bit of energy.  That both thrilled and scared me because it meant that I could get a lot done, but it also usually means I will be having a crash soon.  Yes, it is one of those weird Fibro things again.  I took advantage of that though and got my grocery shopping done in the afternoon, cooked a nice meal for dinner and then retreated to my recliner for the rest of the evening and early morning hours while dealing with dog with an upset stomach.

Today I am working on getting the laundry caught up, doing some more baking and working on a few little projects, making sure to take lots of rest breaks in between.  I am aching and my pain level is steadily getting worse.  Yes, I knew this was coming...I felt it.

Tomorrow will be a day of rest for me for the most part.  I will need to get a huge pasta salad made to help feed the moving crew that will be helping Rachel and Jaysn move on Saturday.  I will have Steven with me on Saturday while the chaos of moving is going on and I need to be well rested to keep up with that little munchkin.  We had planned on going to church with Jaysn and Rachel on Sunday, but I am thinking that I will be in crash mode at that point, so we are playing that one by ear.  I do not do well with big effort and energy output days back to back and usually need a few days in between to recover and get ready for the next one.

I am really trying to work on listening to both those nudgings from God and to my own body about what it is that both He is telling me and what my body needs.  I am admitting defeat at times (that is the hardest thing for me, admitting that I can't do it all and that I need help) and coming to terms with my new "normal" and that I am not the person that I once was.  My amazing family has been totally supportive of me and are willing to help me whenever needed, including knowing that if I can't make an event, that it is not because I don't want to, but that I just am in too much pain to do so.  That is a huge gift from them to me...giving me grace.

We just keep on keeping on around here, doing what we can to make life easier for both of us.  My hubby also has chronic pain in his back and hands (what a pair we make) and I worry about him.  He and I both try to do what we can to ease the burden on each other and we push through pain as much as we can until one of us tells they other to stop and rest or we come to our senses on our own.  One of us is better at doing that than the other...just saying. 😉  I'll let you guess which one that is.


Update:  Well I went into crash mode big time and the baking did not get done.  I managed to get the laundry washed and dried, but Jeff had to do the folding for me.  I did also get some ground venison made into taco meat, so that is ready for us to use but everything else has been put on hold for the moment.