“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19
My physician friend tells me that my back muscles are tighter than 97% of the patients he treats. I wasn’t surprised – I knew that my own shoulders were at least as tense as the patients who came to me for muscle spasms. Those patients I admonished to stop carrying heavy loads, to massage and stretch and maybe see PT. I feel like the yoga mat recently dug out of the shed along with our other belongings coming out of storage – dented in where it should be resilient and squishy, but I’m not sure why, it was just rolled up for 2 years. And I try to take care of myself, I really do, with strong matcha teas, stretching on the porch, essential oils from a friend, different tools for massage and helping release muscle tension. Recently I’ve felt a little shaky after stretching, and I wonder if it is because my body is held together largely by stress and tension, and ready to fall apart at its release. Or maybe it’s the strong teas, cup after cup, I’ve always been sensitive to caffeine. I have been trying to sleep as much as needed, though I keep waking up an hour or so earlier than I need to in the morning for some reason, so that turns into relaxing and productive time. Now I’m getting sick for the second time in a month and I didn’t even run in the cold rain this time. It’s a reminder to take care of myself, to sit in the warm indoors, nap, eat soup, and look at the cold drizzles outside. I’m no longer the put-your-body-through-anything college athlete of 12 years ago. My calling is a marathon, and I need to start equipping myself for resilience in the long-haul. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13