Pay Later

I have told people in the past that one of the greater differences between pre-accident and post-accident me involves the aftereffects concerning the things that I do. My body still allows me to do a great percentage of the type of things that I did before, but the difference lies in what is left of me afterward. It’s not as much an issue of inability as it is my body’s response to the things that I do afterward.

I did a lot of physical work today that is not typical for me. A neighbor of the church called a while back to ask that we cut some pine trees that are growing sideways across a canal from our property and into his backyard area. I decided to handle this myself because I didn’t want the church to pay for a professional service and I also didn’t want any of the guys in the church to spend hours working on such an unpleasant task.

So…I went out early in the morning and determined to do the tree cutting alone. I did get the job done after several hours and a handful of setbacks, but I’m really paying the price right now. Between the strength exerted and the physical gymnastics required, I feel as beat up right now as I’ve felt since I recovered from the accident years ago.

Before the accident, I would have put in the hours of similar physical work and finished the day with a few hours of office work. I would have come home without pain or complaint and worked on whatever needed to be done for the evening. No big deal. Unfortunately, those days are gone. I feel so beat-up right now that typing this blog entry feels as though I’m hauling barbells into the attic.

It’s been a long day, but it does remind me that I have to use more discretion in the things that I do. The ability to accomplish something has to be weighed against the need to actually live past each activity. The fact that I “can” should not blind me to the consequences that await each action.

I seem to be learning the hard way…