I had a staycation awhile ago and was just catching up on some things around the house and running some important errands. I decided, of all things I could choose to do around the house, to clean the shower curtain. Of course, for someone who cannot raise their arms above their head or even hold them up for more than a few seconds at a time, this could have been a difficult job.
I have no idea why I didn’t think of this before. Instead of trying to hold my arms up and hooking the curtain up to the rod, I took the rod down and was able to easily unattach and reattach the curtain.
What a simple solution! Why didn’t I think of this before?
I think I have the answer. Early in my journey with pain, one of the first things to go was the housework. Just like The Spoon Theory says, I only have so much energy per day and having a clean house quickly fell to the bottom of the priority list.
At some point, the perfectionist in me resigned herself to the fact that there are just some things that I cannot do anymore. Of course, some things have to get done. If I don’t wash the dishes, I’ll soon have unwelcome critters taking up residence in my apartment. If I don’t take out the trash…same problem. If I don’t do the laundry, well…you get the picture.
Other household chores such as dusting, scrubbing the floor and cleaning that pesky shower curtain quickly fell to the bottom of the priority list. At some point, it became easier to say, “I just can’t do that any more.”
How empowering to find a new way to do something as simple as clean the shower curtain. I’m off now to invent a new way to dust. Let me know if you have any ideas. You can also take our poll and let us know how you cope when spring cleaning.
Thanks, Dionetta. I often wonder about gardening. I talk to so many others living with pain who are finding ways to do it. My dream is to have a house with a garden someday. I’m thinking maybe the way around all of the bending would be the container gardens that are at waist level.
I love the last thing you said – “I have quit comparing myself to others.” Before, I always had a clean and tidy home. Now it’s a lot less clean and tidy, but – I’m still active and doing the things that I can do and that’s what matters.
I think we need to blog on Gardening. I will start putting some ideas down. Gardening is so therapeutic. I do not want to give it up. I just need to find a different way to do it. there are so many ideas on facebook. people are so creative. Digging in the dirt does something to one’s spirit…it kinda grounds you. I find I can do a lot of creative thinking when I tend to my plants. Your idea of raised gardening – at waist level is the ideal solution for many who like me can no longer safely get down on our knees (because trying to get up again is next to impossible)
My house longs to be tidy and neat but I know that that is a thing of the past at least for now. Everyday is a surprise. I take it one day at a time and get done what needs to be done for that day.
Carolyn, loved your blog. Necessity is indeed the Mother of invention! Finding a new and/or different way of doing something is the name of the game. I always hear the advice “work smarter, not harder”. I may not be able to do the things I once did without thinking but I can do it differently. It means thinking out of the box. It means deciding what matters. Is it important to have the bed be made and blankets folded neatly at the foot of the bed? is it important to have no dishes in the sink? Is it important to have a garden with no weeds? I definitely have changed my mind about a lot of things. So the bed is not made…I can close the door to the bedroom if guests arrive. Dishes in the sink…no problem – I rinse them immediately after using and they are stacked in the sink neatly – waiting for the time I have enough energy to put them in the dishwasher. (this is usually once a day) I had to overcome the voice of my Mother in my head that said it is a sign of shear laziness to have dishes in the sink. Gardening has become my greatest challenge to find just the right plants that will come back each year…fill the garden in an appealing way and keep down the weeds. so ground cover plants have been a God send. I experiment each year with new varieties. I pull out the ones that did not work and replace with new ones to try. I get my plants from my sister’s garden so the expense is minimal. I just walk around her yard and say – let me try that in my garden and she digs up a clump and I take it home and plant it. I love gardening but weeding is out. I can no longer kneel on the ground or even sit on the ground because then I can’t get up again. (in search of the perfect gardening stool to assist with that) But with my recent change in planting pattern I have few weeds to pull. I also have found some handy tools with long handles so I do not have to bend over so much.
If it is important and makes a difference in my life I find a way to make it work. And most of all I have quit comparing myself to others.