Smarter, not harder

I think its nice to sit on reflect on the "happy" in my life - I need to do that more often.  But this Spring there's been a lot of physical stuff making me feel less so.  For most of it I know how it got started.  I have done a lot of yard work lately and I know that pushing myself to get things done on my two days off is starting to wear on my almost 59 year old body.  Well, actually one day since Mark insists we leave for Highlands on Saturdays by noon.  Push and shove, rushing, and trying to do too much.  A recipe for pain.

*Two weeks ago I had cystitis that laid me low.  I thought I merely needed to drink some more water and I could nip it in the bud like magic.  Apparently, no, you just have to survive it until it goes away, and sometimes, it won't.  Motrin wasn't cutting it, so an after-hours doc called me in some Toradol.  A couple of doses later I could feel the pain lessening it's grip and it finally waned.  But there's something about having that kind of pain off and on for a week that wears you out.
*Then a few days after that, I was finishing planting some lariope in the backyard before it started raining.  It was also the morning we were going to leave for SHSU on a campus visit with Grayson.  I managed to strain my back, pulling a muscle which was already aching from all the raking and yard work I had been doing in the two weeks leading up to that.
*Finally, on Saturday as I was again rushing to come to a stopping point on some yard work out front, I hauled some very heavy bags of mulch out of my car.  Three of them.  Which didn't used to be a problem for me, but I don't think I am strong enough to do that anymore.  And I strained my left arm as I was trying to be careful with my right arm.  Spasms all evening.

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So Easter Sunday I tried to take it easy and I got to bed early and spent the day drinking a lot of water and I even napped. My plan going forward this week is to wait until Saturday to complete the landscaping projects I want to work on.  Get lots of sleep this week.  Drink lots of water.  Continue my healthy eating plan.  And focus on taking care of myself.  Plus, maybe I need to change the way I work on these outside projects - working smarter, not harder.  And not rushing.