i had thought about recording another day here, one fuller, more robust with anecdotes and activities. a day that was not this day. no one would know. how would they? i knew this particular diary day would stand at low ebb because some days earlier that same week would have the deepest significance. however, i want to record an accurate account of the life that occurred on the day specified – so, no worries, i have not deviated from the plan or integrity of this project.
i gingerly crept out of bed having injured my back a few days before. you might ask, “how?” “sleeping,” i would feel obliged to answer. nothing dramatic or exciting or heroic – i slept wrong. i wrecked myself sprawling in the bed without my wife who was out of town. frequently, it hurt so bad I felt nauseated. i could barely make it back to the bedroom sometimes. it took me a while to figure out how to prop myself up so i could just sit calmly in the living room and not lie flat in bed. so, when i say i crept gingerly out of bed this morning, i mean it.
this entire week i had taken off work in order to get lots of work done around the house and yard. thankfully, i had gotten the garden planted and irrigation set before my injury. that task represented the most important one of the week so i felt happy about that piece. but anything else i had wanted to do, including possibly hiking or biking or kayaking, became suddenly impossible; even with pain-killers and muscle relaxers. so, this diary day morning, while not filled with the adventure of the previous weekend (when i drove my son to Chicago to send him off for three months in Japan), should have seen some sort of fruitful activity, nonetheless. creeping out of bed, i propped myself in the seat i had carefully cobbled in the living room. my wife had actually emerged from the bedroom before me – an almost unprecedented event – let the dog out and began getting ready to go to work. she made coffee, too.
i did not want another day of sitting around pampering my back if i could help it so i pushed myself into making a picture shelf for our small office/library. i had bought a new drill press the weekend before with the intention of doing this, but it took me until friday to feel as though i could do even this simple thing. i worked on it as i could, taking breaks here and there to let my back rest. my wife came home for lunch in the middle of it. by then, i had the boards cut, glued, nailed, and stained. after she went back to work, i worked again in small bursts and attached it to the wall. i then stopped. my back felt better but still flared up with regularity throughout this process so i did not tempt fate by starting anything else. at least i had completed this one project. life took on more of a positive shine. i lazed the remaining afternoon away, watching tv, letting the dog out and in, etc. until my wife came home and thoughts of dinner buzzed around our heads. i had decided NOT to cook and so had she – besides, fridays we usually eat out anyway. i called to order some chinese takeaway and she took the dog with her to go get it. we ate our dinner and watched some streaming tv. i checked in with my son in Japan, too, before hobbling off to bed.