On my way to FREE

I used to be active. Really active. 

Picture the girl in the short volley shorts and sports bra at the front of a high intensity step class in the 90's - every day...  That was me. 

And then, out of nowhere, the pain came; plagued with 20 years of chronic neck and shoulder pain crippled me --until recently. When the spinal discectomy and fusion of my C5-6, 6 rounds of facet nerve ablation (they killed the nerves at the joints in my cervical spine), 3 epidurals, and the steroid shots didn't work, I started pain management 5 months ago, only at night bc I can't function on that stuff. It was a last resort and I begged my surgeon to go back in. Fix it. Please! When he refused to perform a second major spinal surgery,  I decided to start seeing a physical therapist. Why not turned into why the hell hasn't anyone suggested this before??? 

It's been 5 weeks of twice-a-week PT and dry needling (which hurts like a bitch - look it up) and I've been off medication for 4. I haven't cried in 3. Yesterday I RAN, like really, for 20 minutes at 5.5 intensity/3 incline for the first time in years. 

I've cut out sugar, with the exception of 70% dark chocolate and raw honey) and have stopped eating pork, beef, and chicken and am juicing every morning. 

Add EXPANSIVE contemplative prayer, meditation, breath work, and focusing on the things that make me FEEL REALLY GOOD and bring me JOY (and steering clear or getting rid of the things that don't) brings a superior level of OPEN/EASE. 

Everyday I hurt less and that is good.

It's simple really. Who would have known. I'm on my way to FREE.