I think I mentioned I was tired yesterday.
Well, I’m tired again. 🙃 I feel like I’m getting old. The joints get all stiff after just short periods of time in the same position. The body hurts in so many places and gets injured so easily. I’m just now feeling like my hip, injured a year ago, is almost back to normal. Every once in a while, I get the sense it’s a little unstable, and it concerns me a tiny bit.
My write hand/wrist that I brokeish months back is… cross your fingers, possibly starting to heal? I don’t shake anyone’s hand anymore because of how badly it hurts when they do, but I think maybe it’s on the mend?
I hope.
Now my left wrist managed to get pissed off at something. I’ve had a torn ligament in that wrist for… 15 years or so, and this injury is right where that torn ligament is, so… maybe I did something to aggravate it? I don’t know, but the ligament in my first thumb joint is also messed up, I think.
So… the left hand isn’t doing so well overall. I probably need to put it in a splint, darn it all.
Poor body.
I guess I’m finally starting to look my age? Most people guess young 30s, but lately, people have been thinking Malaki is my son that I’m taking with me as a helper. 🙃
Nope. He’s a mechanic in training.
Anyway, it’s almost 1:30. I’ve been up this late working on tax stuff. With everything going on these last few months, I fell behind, and I didn’t want to let myself get any further behind. I’ve had enough of tax-season nightmares, so… I’m almost caught up now through the end of July. Probably a couple hours of work left to be fully caught up. Was hoping to get all caught up today, but I let myself get distracted.
This morning when I went to do my daily 5×5, the five minutes in the garage turned into like… 5 hours in the garage.
Why?
Well, because for my five minutes, I was going to sweep out the leaves and debris that had blown in. My mom was at church, so all the leaves that had been sitting under her car for the last month plus since she’s been out of town were ripe for the sweeping. But I made an interesting discovery as I began sweeping them out.
Spiders.
Lots of ’em.
More specifically, brown recluses.
Yup. They had made the leaves their home. I’d noticed a significant uptick in the number of brown recluses I’d been seeing just going into the garage to grab stuff out of the garage fridge. I’d turn around to go back in the house, and lately there have been brown recluses greeting me to the side of the door jam quite regularly. The garage wall beside the door jam is now rather… colorful… with the guts of many of them.
So today, as I was sweeping the leaves out, with each stroke of the broom, I’d see brown recluses scatter in every direction. By the time I’d gotten just the section of leaves that was under the car swept onto the gravel driveway, I’d killed probably 40 or 50 of them.
So… my five minutes turned into several hours as I went on a bit of a brown recluse hunt. My mom’s… not young anymore, and the last thing we need is a brown recluse giving her a little nibble. Not so fun.
I’m grateful the creatures live up to their name, but still, when you have so stinking many of them, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to have them in our shoes or gloves when we go to put them on. I’ve taken to smashing all my gloves before putting them on to work. I’ve been doing that for a while now. Not sure if I’ve ever killed a spider inside, but it brings a little peace to think I’m safer for having done that.
Anyway, so I spent a long time doing that, and in the process, I cleaned out the garage a good bit. I’ll need to be out in 6 to 9 months, likely, and given me, I’d like to be out and on to the next thing a lot earlier than that. I don’t like waiting around to see what’s going to happen. I like to get going on the next thing.
Funny, the irony as I write that. My temperament is one to get going and moving, on to the next thing, but in that one particular area of my life, it’s been to hang on and wait.
Anyway, I’ve been experimenting again, trying to find truth. Put on my garments today as an experiment. Listened to the Dhammapada, well, a large chunk of it.
And I got a pretty significant bit done with the tax stuff. There’s less to do for July since I’ve worked so little in July.
I almost pulled the trigger on New Zealand and Australia today. I also looked into Antarctica, but it’s pretty darn expensive via the Australia/New Zealand side of the world. Much cheaper via Ushuaia.
Almost…
Work has been slower lately. I mean, I’ve said no to a number of jobs, but we’re not slammed like we usually are, so it’s been a bit different. Part of that is needing to build back up after having not worked for a while. Part of that, I’m guessing, is that people are trying to drive less and spend less in these lovely inflationary times.
Hoping it picks back up, so that Malaki has what he needs for his family. I need to get him more training materials, so that he is better equipped to handle the jobs on his own.
Well, folks, it’s time for bed. Today was a day where I feel like I can look upon it and acknowledge that I actually made some progress in the area of personal growth.
That’s encouraging.
Hope y’all had restful, joyful Sunday.
Love and hugs.
Lift the World
~ stephen
Lift the World 