When a Plan Works Out

"If you don't come into the office, I'm going to come to your house", my former boss jokingly (I think) told me yesterday as he stopped by my office to make sure we were still on for our meeting for Wednesday. "I'm planning to be here", I assured him, trying to quiet that little voice inside my head that was saying something else. 

The whole day, I felt uncomfortable. My leg was still hurting, every chair I sat in pressed hard against my back and every step I took felt torturous. I couldn't concentrate, my thoughts muddled as I counted the minutes before I could leave. When the moment finally came that I could be set free, I left my laptop at my office in quiet defiance to that warning voice inside my head.

My plan on the way home..stop for a mocha at Ink & Bean, but my neck had other ideas. On the drive home, it began to stiffen like it was developing a bad case of rigor mortis. I continued on my path to Ink & Bean in quiet defiance to the pain that was growing by the moment. 

I can't deny there was relief mixed with disappointment when all the parking spots on the street where Ink & Bean is located were taken. Yes, there was a parking garage nearby, but there was no way I could put my body through the extra walk. Lack of front row parking was the sign I needed to say I tried and keep on driving home. 

By the time I arrived at the house, the pain was so great, I couldn't move my head without hiding my distress. Tired of going from 60 (30 really) to zero in less than minute, my tear flowed. If it weren't for the loving, kindness of my mom and Brie, I would have fallen into a mass of wallowing self-pity. 

Mom tended to my needs, getting me my pain meds (which by the way did NOTHING to relieve the pain), water, a blanket, the heating pad and serving me dinner, as I took refuge on my recliner, trying my best not to move my head.

Brie took off where mom left off, getting me Ginger Ale for my nausea and my things from upstairs since I determined that it would be best for my neck to sleep on my recliner and telling me to text her if I needed anything as she went up to bed. As I slowly put my pajamas on, I tried not to think about what would happen if I didn't feel any better in the morning. 

While the pain meds didn't do anything for the pain, they did make me drowsy enough to sleep most of the night. I woke up a few times. Once to take more pain meds, once to the feeling that an earthquake had just passed (it had, a 4.4 centered in Fontana, at around 1:30pm) and a few times to check the clock so I could count how many hours I had left to sleep. 

I awoke to the alarm at 6:00am, slowly moving my head, first to the left and then to the right. While I didn't have a lot of flexibility, I wasn't gasping in pain either. I got up from my recliner, still no gasping, my hope began to grow. By 7:05am, I was in my car, pulling out of the driveway, my confidence growing that I would make it in time for my 9:00am meeting. 

I had planned to head home after 11am when the meeting had ended, but there was no burning need. It was 1pm before I realized that I wasn't feeling any of the discomfort I had felt the day before. My mind was in the game so I worked through lunch with the thought that perhaps I could get out of the office at 3pm and stop at Ink & Bean.

I love it when a plan works out. I love it too, that healing came so quickly. I praise God for the day.