You know that feeling you get when one thing goes wrong… and then another thing goes wrong… and more wrong things just seem to keep happening?
I think we all know that feeling.
Last night, after an especially tiring day of physical therapy for my elbow, and strength training at the Y, I felt suddenly itchy along my right elbow. When I straightened out my arm, I assumed my skin was simply feeling dry and tight. Without much concern, I reached for a tube of hand cream.
As soon as I rubbed the cream into my skin, I gasped. This wasn't dry skin. I realized I had (and still have) rough, itchy bumps all over my elbow. When did that happen? And how?
I reached for my left elbow, and although it wasn't quite as itchy, it was almost as uncomfortable, and it also felt unusually bumpy. Before retiring to bed, I applied some anti-itch ointment and rash cream.
It didn't help. I still woke up with the weird pimply, itchy welts. I've got some red bumps showing up on the inside of my elbows now, too.
So far, nothing has helped the itch. Not eczema cream or anti-itch cream or allergy meds. My gut tells me it's probably an autoimmune rash or gluten rash. I'll likely have to get in to the doctor (well, multiple doctors) to find out for sure.
It's such a bummer to have one thing come up after another. Another bit of pain or irritation. Just when we think we'll get a minute to breathe—well, worry about one thing at a time, or to focus on work, we get sidelined.
I always think it's a bummer when I can't fully concentrate because I'm uncomfortable or in pain.
But of course, the time must pass, regardless of how I'm feeling. It's going to pass regardless of what I do.
Maybe I can't get everything done today, but at least, I can do something. And maybe I'm unhappy, but I can still find something to smile about.
This morning, I took Sophie to school, then stopped at the grocery store to pick up vegetables. I honestly didn't feel like going out at all, but I thought about all of the days where I have wanted to go out but genuinely couldn't. I walk very slowly, but I'm balancing better without my cane.
I'm slowly getting stronger.
When I got home, I had to put the veggies away. I didn't feel like doing it, but it had to be done. I didn't feel like cooking, but I nneeded to make myself some breakfast.
I made a tofu scramble with veggies, did a bit of reading and research, tried a few more treatments for my itchy elbows, but I never felt comfortable.
Somehow, it got me thinking about a story I read the other day online, about a fat cat learning how to swim.
Yes, that's right. This chunky cat named Ty was given to an animal shelter. The shelter quickly realized that Ty needed to lose weight, so they decided to teach him how to swim.
They even put him into a fat cat-sized life jacket!
I must have looked at Ty's photos one hundred times, but I can't seem to quit zooming into this guy's face.
The poor cat looks like he's in his own personal horror story… but he's staying alive. It's so pitiful, it's funny.
In fact, if you read the whole story, you'll see that Ty finally warmed up to the water, and now he's a great swimmer!
I'd like to think there's a lesson here nor just about persistence, but also about smiling through some of our pain.
I've had some pretty tough days, but I can always count on adorable internet cats to help me laugh.
Surely, if a fat cat like Ty can learn how to swim, we can also get through our own set of difficult things.
I think it’s perfectly ok to do some yelling into a pillow as well as the smiling part 💐