Day 3 - 82 -- Dealing with Pain

It has been a long day -- one class, two student meetings, shoveling snow and another pile of grading. Work at the office went fairly well. Shoveling was another story. The snow yesterday was followed by ice pellets, rain and more snow overnight. That left a one-inch layer of ice on top of the snow. Breaking through that layer took a bit of extra physical labour and the sound it made when pushed aside was almost musical. Another inch of snow is forecast for tomorrow.

Making the day a bit more challenging was the sinus headache with this nasty cold. I was sure my frontal lobe would make an appearance during my lecture this morning -- bursting through the forehead like something out of Alien. Later it was my right eye that seemed poised for an escape from the orbital socket. Painkillers did help. This pain seemed to mirror the mental pain that is fighting to surface. Feeling totally tired doesn't help the latter, either, but breathing helps manage it somewhat -- but with the congestion, that isn't as easy as usual. <smile>

The song for today came to mind when I was telling myself that I'm not the only one with something hurting from a virus or something else. Several others are ill with colds or other infectious processes, and some have had major losses recently. So -- I'm not alone in my pains. The song presents the universal nature of pain. I've chosen a cover of the original song from a singer that I've always enjoyed for the gravelly nature of his voice. It does have the ability to help me relax, too.  Enjoy!

Everybody Hurts -- Joe Cocker