Wonder-filled

This morning I awoke from a wonderful dream. In the dream I found myself helping clean up the landscaping around our church building - raking out all the landscaping in front of the church, worked with my kids filling wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow with debris, helping others clean up along the side of the building, and spreading mulch in the front to finish my portion of the job. I felt the sun on my back and the stretch of my muscles as I worked. Hard work, fresh air, what a wonderful dream!

The dream continued with a trip to a warehouse store with my friend Renee, where I got shopping done and we had good conversation in the process. And then a jaunt to a store for which I had a gift card. Then a quick stop home and off again to two different grocery stores. Once home, I took on the task of putting away a month's worth of groceries and supplies and enjoyed dinner and a movie with my family. 

Usually these dreams of mundane tasks frustrate me because they're my plan for the upcoming day and then I have to do them all over again , but I haven't had such an active day in years so even experiencing it through a dream was wonderful. It's strange the things you're thankful for when you live with chronic pain and chronic illness. Any dream in which I have a functioning body and minimal pain (I do experience pain in dreams) is a good one.

I sat up, willing my body and mind to wake up so I could tackle the day ahead. As I swung my legs over the side of my bed, a sharp pain bolted through my lower back and hip. That's when the thoughts, "I really overdid it yesterday" and "That wasn't a dream" collided and a huge, wonder-filled smile spread across my face. It wasn't a dream. I was my yesterday. Hard work. Sunshine. Family. And the most productive day I've had in years.

As I sit here with a heating pad on my back, I'm sure I'll be paying for it today - but not to the extreme that is the norm when I over do it, I think.

I get up, move around, my body relaxes, and I feel good. Good. And I am once again filled with wonder, as well as a mountain of gratitude.