You know what you probably shouldn’t do when you have a repetitive stress injury in your hand? Cut up all these peppers:

You know what I did when I had a repetitive stress injury in my hand? You guessed it. Cut up all those peppers (and a bunch more that were in a large bag and about to go bad). I also made apple muffins, swept the house multiple times, edited photos on my phone…the list goes on.

And for SOME annoying reason, my hand has yet to heal from this injury.

The other day I was doing my workout at the gym and nearly started crying because my hand was hurting so much. When I recounted the story to Bobby later that night I was like, “I just don’t get it! Here I am, resting my hand, and it’s throbbing at the gym when I pick up a weight or grab on to a bench to do a leg raise!” (P.S. Aren’t you so impressed with all my gym talk?)

And Bobby observed “Well, it sounds like you aren’t actually resting it then. Right?” That husband of mine. So astute.

I think I was secretly hoping that my hand would be able to understand that I was laying off the painting, writing, and obviously intense stuff but would turn a blind eye to the other normal-day activities. It’s as if I were a 10 year-old who gave up sweets for Lent but then proceeded to have hot chocolate and soda and frozen yogurt because liquid sweet things and YOGURT can hardly count, right?!?!

This is day 14 of this whole saga and finding out I had an RSI. By day 14, things were supposed to be feeling back to normal. I’m realizing that I’ve stunted that a bit.

So where does this leave me? As much as it makes me cringe, I realize that I need to get far more strict about this whole concept of rest. I’m figuring out healthy freezer-type meals that I can literally plop in a skillet and stir with my left hand. I’m asking Bobby to do the more intense meals and chopping. I’m laying off of sweeping and any activities at the gym that directly involve my hands. I’m even realizing that typing very much, however gingerly I go about it, can’t be great for my hand.

That last point, about the typing, brings me right back to this blog. I’m all about consistency and follow-through. I know how important it is. And yet, I think I need to lay low right now and put a halt to creating new blog content until my hand is out of the woods. I can only draw so many Folk-Art Friday creatures with my left hand, so that’s going to be on a hiatus, too.

I’m fully confident that my body will work to heal itself if I actually allow it to do so. Last night, I had a dream about writing a letter with no pain. This has literally become the stuff I dream and fantasize about, ha! To bring this into my reality, I’m not sure exactly how long this true rest will need to be, but I’m ready to do it right.

Please send up prayers and good vibes for my poor little hand so I can get back to this space sooner rather than later! In the meantime, I’ll still be popping in on Instagram (I can’t abandon creativity completely) so I hope you’ll come see me over there. And once I’m back on the blog train, I’ll send out the alert via a newsletter, so please subscribe if you haven’t already (subscription bar on the right sidebar).

Have the happiest of weeks, friends!