January 23rd - Reality seen by the light of sun and Son

The story...

My lower-back pain, caused by pinched nerves and sore muscles, has been real and personal.  The pain taught me to behave in a way that I "think" works for me.  I feel the results and compensate in a manner that I expect best relives the discomfort while allowing me to do what I want to do.  Yet, sometimes a muscle will be sore from my stretching, exercising, or doing what I do - then I tend to stop and wait to feel better. 

When my routine doesn't work anymore - I ask a doctor for help.  They may perform an MRI to observe the hidden reality.  They show me the amount of spinal stenosis, disc bulging and protrusion, positioning, arthritis formations, damaged parts, and joint wear that naturally occur over time.

Ideal spinal alignment & posture

In January 2024, my back surgeon recommended that I try epidural shots and physical therapy to help restore me to active duty.  I was hopeful for the shots but had little hope for the therapy.  I was discouraged - I wanted the surgeon to just fix me and restore me to "normal."

My physical therapist spoke a new reality to me from different perspectives.  She coached and encouraged me to change my routine, habits, and understanding of how my body actually works.  She shinned new light on the reality of my body, routines, habits, and physical condition.  I trusted her.

I expect that we'd all agree that self reflection at the beginning of our morning and at the end of the day would be good for us.  It's likely that we'd also agree that looking at our lives from different perspectives would help too.  Imagining a reality, that's different then what's actually going on, might provide some temporary mental comfort; yet, reality wins in the end.

Self reflection and a desire to know and understand reality is a wonderful human capability that we can choose to exercise or ignore.  The only church in town will encourage you to see reality from multiple perspectives within community and more importantly from the "Light" of  God - our creator.

Just for today...

"I choose to accept the reality of my life. I am moving in a healthy direction, growing ever more able to live a good life and to love those I meet along the way."  Courage to Change (p. 23)