Headaches, Joni Mitchell and Gratitude

Today I woke up and thought of the lyrics of Joni Mitchell’s song, Big Yellow Taxi:

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
‘Til it's gone.
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot.

For the past three days I’ve had a migraine headache. I had periods of time where it wasn’t excruciatingly painful, but I never felt good enough to be productive in the way I would like to be. It was like having a perpetual hangover. And no, my headache was not alcohol induced. I rarely imbibe. Alcohol makes me sick. Plus, my days of dancing on tables and wearing a lampshade are best forgotten.

Out of desperation I finally decided to get a massage to see if that would help the pain and tension I was feeling. I couldn’t get in to see my regular physician, Andrea Weiner. I called Judy Richter, a very talented massage therapist that I highly recommend, but I couldn’t get through to her (I learned later there was something wrong with her phone). I tried three other places and no one had any openings until 8 p.m. that night, or worse yet, the following day. Yikes. I was in pain and was tired of feeling crummy.

I did a search on the internet and was able to make an appointment for later that afternoon. I had never been there before, I didn’t have coupons, no one recommended it, I just found it by searching the internet. I told the therapist that I had a headache for three days, I tripped cleaning the bunny’s cage, and I thought that may have knotted my muscles up even more.

My therapist, Carrie, worked on me and did a great job. I was definitely tense. My shoulders were about 12 inches higher than they should have been. It was as if they were stuck in a perpetual shrug. By the time she was done, I felt a lot better.

Today I woke up and felt more like myself again. I started my day as I try to every day, by declaring the many things I am grateful for. Of course, not having a headache was number one on my list. Gratitude is a huge part of happiness. I will dedicate a whole chapter to the topic in my next book, but for the time being, here is an excerpt from chapter three.

Since David was angry much of the time, gratitude wasn’t really something he had given much thought to. However, one experience really hit home.

“We were at a meeting and everyone had to say one thing they were grateful for,” said David. “One guy was living in a half-way house. He had been living on the streets. When it was his turn to share he said he was grateful that he had a clean pair of socks in his drawer. And he wasn’t kidding. Having clean socks was a luxury to this guy. It really made me stop and think about how many things I have in my life to be grateful for.”

In closing, I would like to include three tips on gratitude that I will include in the next book.

Gratitude is just as important for the simple things in our lives as it is for the more abundant things.

Gratitude keeps us humble and therefore open to the blessings of joy.

Gratitude keeps us in a positive state of mind which keeps us in a state of faith instead of fear.

And to you, my readers, thank you for reading this blog. If you enjoy it, I hope you will show your gratitude by recommending it to others.

Many thanks,

Sally