I've been running around the entire day yesterday. Started the day with advanced MS Excel Training, quick meetings and discussions with the bosses here and there, a lot of analysis of rising costs (raw materials, transportation, etc.) limited supply, and increasing demand of an ever dynamic Philippine market.
In the afternoon, I found myself in a clinic getting a test that our company nurse asked me to get for the second time. I don't know what they want to confirm, but it has been a yearly tradition and they haven't found anything yet. What a waste of resources!
Although I've always intentionally lived a life I don't have to escape from, I felt like escaping from it yesterday. This visit to the clinic and the recurring pain in my lumbar spine have reminded me of the time in the past when I had to undergo all these crazy tests (MRI, CT scans, and a ton of x-rays) alone and therapy after therapy which never truly made any progress to my herniated disc. And it's just frustrating to be taking these all in now when I have all my goals, activities, and travels lined up for the rest of the summer. I've worked so hard to regain my spine's strength and allow myself to live as normally as I could but here I am back in base one. It's difficult to be describing how limiting this injury could be.
My frustrations left me thinking "I should just act as if the pain's not there". So I went downtown bought an electric kettle (for my hot compress) and visited this place called Iconique to look for some fresh fruit juice. I didn't find any on the first floor. What I found was a live band performing at the rooftop of the said establishment. It's been a while since I last heard a live band performing on stage, so I stayed for a couple of minutes. It was refreshing to the soul. There were a few customers but not too crowded. Its open space gave me the confidence to take off my mask while I enjoyed my mango shake and sang along with the songs played. If you love food, there are a lot of food stalls to choose from. I've stayed until the live band sang their last song.
At this point, my back is still aching. I'm still frustrated as I've been earlier this week but hearing the soulful renditions of some songs I grew up singing allowed me to let go of the idea that my day should always be perfect. Now, I'm just waiting for my hot compress to get warm. Repeatedly putting a hot compress in my lower back had worked in the past, let's see if it'll still work this time. Fingers crossed! 🤞
