More on the Concept of Boundary

Boundary = limit. A new year has dawned and instead of resolutions; I've picked a word for the year. There are boundaries all around us. Nature has it own boundaries such as when you get a record snowfall in one day (when you live down South in the USA) and while you can leave your driveway (on a hill), leaving means you won't be able to get up the driveway again until the boundary of snow and ice is addressed.

To have a boundary, you also need space for a boundary. Some boundaries are created for you and enforced by others, some boundaries you get to create and decide upon, and still other boundaries need to be managed or negotiated. Managing or negotiating boundaries is where I am with any post surgery recovery.

1) I am doing well. My Christmas letter mentioned I was 90% recovered. Today, I would say that I'm 95% recovered. But the 5% that's still not quite right can be problematic, or annoying really and this is where I need to actively manage or negotiate boundaries.

2) The ongoing annoyances:

a) altered sensation in part of my lower torso, back: not painful but a dull soreness/tightness or stiffness at times. The soreness tends to increase with colder weather.

b) an ongoing case of Plantar Fasciitis in one foot: this can be worse that any dull soreness or stiffness in my lower back.

c) a very, very hard time of falling asleep: it must be hard to physically relax because falling asleep is when I notice every strange altered sensation in my body. And then it sometimes feel very intense. Thankfully, once I'm asleep, I'm pretty much good until I wake. But at times, I'm only getting 4-5 hours asleep unless I take something like Melatonin.

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Boundaries with Exercise and Physical Activity

I've been pretty regular at getting up and to the gym at 7am for some strength training two days a week. This helps keep some of the stiffness at bay and is overall helping to regain strength, build upon strength where formal physical therapy left off. I am not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination but my day goes better when I exercise first thing. I think I need to build upon this and make this pretty much a daily habit.

Swimming is something I still need to work on building back endurance. I'm not sure how I feel about the competitive nature of a swim meet. While I miss the formal Masters program where I typically swim (the Greenville YMCA), at the same time I really don't know that I want to push my body for certain time intervals or do an all out sprint. I enjoy swimming at my own pace and for the increased flexibility I feel afterward. But I do enjoy less and less the swimming in cold weather. Today, it's now 2:10pm and it feels like 38 degrees Fahrenheit and I have zero desire to go for a swim. My pup and my mom's pup are going outside for short periods of time and then giving me a look that says, "do something about the cold please." But I'm good for a swim at any temp 50 degrees Fahrenheit or higher - unless it's too hot and the pool water feels too warm). Maybe the truth is I'm becoming a fair weather swimmer: please keep the temperature differential between air and water not too great or too small.

Overall, after 7 months with no complications and slow continual improvement - I am wanting to be more active in general. I feel restless if I don't exercise or stretch at all during a day. So I'm in the process of managing and negotiating new limits/boundaries for exercise and physical activity; but the trend is I feel I need to get more active.

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Spring Fever

All of the above brings me to acknowledging I have spring fever in a big way. I want to swim but don't want it to be so cold when I do swim. I want to go on more walks with the pup and work on training outdoors but not when it's so cold.

I'm sure once Spring comes - there will be something I find disagreeable with Spring (the pollen count maybe??) Alas, I'm still in winter (an enforced boundary) seeking to make the best of it!

Here are activities I do enjoy from time to time (when feeling cooped up indoors):

- Art - clearly an amateur but I do enjoy playing around with art type stuff from time to time.

- Watching the Olympics - doesn't happen every year but I do appreciate that the Olympics exist and feel inspired by watching the athletes

- 35 more days until the time changes and my areas will have more daylight later in the day!!!

- Reading - although the past month has been slap crazy with work I really haven't found the energy to read all that much after hours.

- Binge watching - so I may have binge watched Ozark, Breaking Bad, and a few other shows since this quarantine Covid mess began. I haven't always watched so much television. I see this diminishing once Spring formally gets here.

- Indoor dog training - see attached video below.

Hope all those who read this are doing well!