Quite the week and then some...

Hi all,

For my Calgary friends... I hope you got a chance to get down to the grounds and take in the Stampede. I myself couldn't get over how many people were down there. It never ceases to amaze me how many people we can crowd into that little area!!

Today is not a great day. My pain level is the highest it has been for many weeks. Once I tell you about my week, it is going to be pretty obvious why. And as I was living it... I knew I was taking a great risk by doing all the things I've done and suffering from all the stress I suffered (not to mention that it is PMS week so we were expecting a little higher pain levels).

I started my week by making a pretty major life decision... whether or not to keep working at the job I have had for 15 years. Even though I hold the title of Executive Assistant at work, I am closer to an Office Manager. I don't really do a lot of Executive scheduling... no travel plans, no day to day scheduling. I am, however, responsible for the office equipment, stock and supplies; I maintain customer product and spend the largest portion of my day providing customer service and scheduling production of printing materials from customer phone call till it ships out the door. On top of that, I have been given the added responsibility that I have just felt wasn't, or shouldn't, be a part of my duties.

So on Tuesday, I had a very long discussion with the owner of the company. It was a very difficult conversation as you can well imagine, mostly because no one really likes conflict, but after 15 years in a less than 30 employee company, you make a lot of friends and get very close to a lot of people... so leaving would have been a painful experience. But I am very happy to say that I was heard with respect and an open mind. We are going to make some changes that is going to make my job a little easier and in the long run, I hope to make all of us a little happier (including my customers)!

With all that stress off my shoulders I ended up just plumb exhausted!! This should have been sign one that I really needed to take it easier. But it is summer after all, and the time for staff to start various vacations. And in a smaller company like I work for; during vacation days we all have to take on a few more duties and responsibilities. So I worked quite a bit harder this week than I normally would.

My weeknights were mostly restful and peaceful but as cold is not good for fibromyalgia patients neither is extreme heat. Calgary just went through quite the heat wave with average temperatures topping the high 20s / low 30s so no one was sleeping very well (unless your house is equipped with air conditioning). Whether you are a chronic pain sufferer or not; when the weather gets that hot your whole body just feels swollen and sluggish.

So now we have high stress and high heat adding together. You think I would have stopped and said... hmmm. But no... I had plans this weekend and nothing was getting in my way!! Silly Tab. So off I head to Camp Horizon (near Bragg Creek) to do a wonderful donation presentation. But it was about an hour out during rush hour, half hour back in the car, during this high heat.

Saturday we were off to breakfast with Christopher to wish him a happy 22nd birthday and then I went to the Stampede for the afternoon. Approximately 7 hours of walking kilometre after kilometre. Luckily, the heat was not as bad, we even got a few rain sprinklings along the way.

So now I will suffer for a bit. But sometimes I believe you just have to do these things. Yes it is EXTREMELY important to care for ones self... but is equally important to live. And for me... this week was worth the little bit of pain I will go through. And trust me... compared to a year ago, this is just a little bit of pain.

I would never recommend this course of action for those just starting their journey to recovery. At the beginning, it is just too important to follow the "rules" and take extra care and caution. But I am just truly optimistic that this will just be a minor set back on a journey of growth, wellness and healing.