Back pain and splashing paints.

If you want to translate the world, you need to use your appetites. Kathy Richards

...I am off for the weekend to splash about in paint. To throw myself at a canvas and let magic happen... However it may appear. Off to RiverRock Studio, an artist's retreat centre nestled at the foot of the Rockies in rolling hills and forest green. It's a place of tranquility and inspiration. Where sunset bruises mountain peaks and cougars roam and nimble deer nibble at grasses on the lawn.

I woke this morning, my head stuffed up, ears ringing, body aching. I doubt I can go paint this weekend, my critter whispered in my head. I just want to sleep.

Really? You want to back out of playing in paintpots, mixing it up to create rainbows on canvas? Really?

Yeah. I'll be too tired. I need to take care of me.

Uh huh. What's with that? You just don't want to step outside of your discomfort zone and release the genie or maybe even the genius, of your creativity. This my friend is a self-defeating game.

What if it is? I get to play any game I want. It's my life.

Yeah? Well then, how about playing the game of life on the lighter side? You know, dancing in the rivers of creative expression, grasping onto nothing but a paintbrush and an idea that from nothing something will appear...

Don't you hate it when your better self has more reason than your critter self?

I'm off to paint for the weekend.

... Last night my eldest daughter came into the bedroom after returning from a play with C.C and said, "You're out of balance mom. You're not your usual self. You work too hard, too much. You need to take care of you."

I normally have my meditation group on Wednesday night but two factors have been playing havoc with my ability to sit still this week. One, this cold that has my head throbbing and two, a much more critical component of meditation -- my back has been throbbing, and sitting is the one thing that hurts it most.

So last night, I gave into the need to be quiet and instead of going out, got into bed and relaxed. It was the perfect thing for me to do.

I've still got a head cold. My back is still not happy, happy, but, I feel more grounded, more centered, more me.

And a note to self -- don't sneeze when your back is not happy. Ouch!

But then, head colds, back pain, sneezes, whatever's with me, I'm always still all me.

... On Tuesday night I went to a benefit concert for Bone and Joint Research. My musing yesterday was threaded with my wonderings from the night before. I sat amidst the who's who of the city, amidst designer couture and designer watches and wondered 'how do I fit in here?' And then I realized -- I really do fit in. My back is aching. It hurts to sit and standing up from sitting is a real pain. I really do fit in.

Somethings I didn't know... 40% of women over the age of 50 will suffer a bone break where Osteoporsis is the secondary cause.

400,000 Albertans will be affected by bone and joint disease.

1 in 10 Canadians suffer from osteoporosis.

Back pain is the no. 1 cause of time lost on the job. It adds up to a $27 billion a year 'industry' -- both medical costs and job loss costs.

... And today, at the shelter where I work, we will be celebrating the lives of three men who passed away recently. The oldest, was 84. He had been a client of the shelter for many years, living on one of our transitional floors for the past five years. The average age of death at the shelter is 47.9. The average age of death of a 'housed' Calgarian is 82.4, the highest in the province. Researchers quote 'higher level of income' as the main factor in Calgarian's longer life expectancy. Calgary Herald, If you live in Calgary, you may live longer. September 22,

Today's blog is a Pleasantly Disturbed Thursday edition. Hosted by Duane Scott, bloggers are invited to reveal their pleasantly disturbing thinking patterns every Thursday.

Aren't you glad you're not in my head? :)

And thank you again to Kathy Richards for her blog yesterday, Stay Hungry, from whence I lifted the quote at the beginning of this blog today.

It's all good in a Pleasantly Disturbed Thursday kind of way!