Well, I have been having a most interesting experience the last three weeks. My shoulders have been in quite a bit of pain. At first....I thought it was that one night I spent an hour reading in bed (yeah...a no-no for posture.) Next morning--wow was my left shoulder torqued! Things like that usually wear off over the day. Next morning--after a bad night's sleep--still problematic. Got some bodywork done...still hurting. Hmmm. What could this be?
It has slowly been dawning on me that this new discomfort might just be growing pains. WHAT? You say to yourself...doesn't that stop in early adulthood? Well--I thought so too. However, the fact is over our lifespan, our body changes in relation to the tasks we engage in. So, as I reflected on my past weeks, I realized I have been doing more bodywork sessions than when I first started (good news) but I didn't expect my musculature to be so effected. WRONG! It is! I have found my upper arm strength increasing, my hand grip strength is now crazy strong, and my shoulders are broadening (hence the pain).
My posture is changing too. I used to stand out of habit at times with my arms crossed. Can't do that anymore for longer than 5 minutes or my shoulders hurt. What is so interesting to me about this is about 5 months ago I began to pray that God would open me up to become a more loving, caring, non-judgmental presence to all those around me. (For those who have studied eastern modalities of bodywork/energy work, it is regarding the heart chakra). Well, it is happening. I just didn't think it all through to the logical embodied result. My posture is actually opening up to others. Wow. Be warned! Be careful what you pray for....God just might answer it! Be ready to embrace your growing pains!
