A painful experience

You realize how well you’re doing when your health takes a hit. I have had to make this experience in the last few days.

The 13th week of the year was definitely not my lucky week, although I’m not superstitious and don’t associate the number 13 with any negative influences. After a good start to the new week and a lovely sunset run on Monday, everything turned on Tuesday morning. While putting away the dishes in the dishwasher after breakfast, I felt a sudden pain in my back and for the next few days I had to deal with severe aches and pains that I had never experienced before.

Blessed be the walks

I sometimes have back pain, but the last time I was as restricted by it as this time was 30 years ago. So I can’t complain too much, though that’s a small consolation when every movement hurts and you don’t know whether to stand, sit or lie down. Lying down in particular was a problem and sleeping was torture. The best I could do was to walk and so I went for walks every day, despite the gray skies we had.

A reminder of transience

Spring seems rather sluggish to me this year and far too cold. And yet it is a time of rapid change. Where bushes were in full bloom a moment ago, the picture is completely different after a few days. The petals on the ground, the trees naked again, concentrating on the growth of their leaves. Everything has its time and unfortunately that time comes and goes quickly. That makes it all the more important to enjoy the moment and fill your heart with it, so you can draw on it when the tide has turned again.

Diving into the past

I used my physical limitations and the resulting long, inactive and somewhat frustrated evenings to browse through my old notes and diaries. It always feels good and takes me back to the old days, reviving the feelings from back then and making me realize how far I’ve come by now. Above all, my doodles that I drew on documents and meeting minutes during boring meetings always inspire me and make me smile. Since I’ve been working on my own, I miss those boring moments when I had to dream away with a ballpoint pen. But I have to admit, I sometimes crave that feeling of longing for a better life, that I had back then. When the wishes come true, the dream is over. Of course, this is first and foremost a beautiful thing, but the longing that was there before, also fed my creativity and gave life a certain goal to work or live towards. Without such a focus, it is difficult to find a path through your life. So you need to set new goals on your own.

Taking action in the present

Such thoughts accompanied my pain this week. Fortunately, my back got better towards the weekend. I resolved to spend more time keeping a notebook again where I can let off steam graphically and started doing it straight away. I was able to turn my attention back to the joys of life. On Saturday I treated myself to a spa break in Germany with a sauna and a swim, while on Sunday I boosted my creative inspiration with a walk and a visit to the Cartoon Museum here in Basel. Thomas Ott’s exhibition with his scratchboard works contributed to this, as did the blooming magnolias in the parks and gardens.

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