Day 28

Or what I said vs. what I meant.  I've already had to clarify a few times, like on Number 59, Number 57, and Number 70.  Each time, I said one thing but meant something slightly different.  In all these cases, the goal itself was shortened for clarity ("Trevor and Darcy master beginner training" sounds better than "Trevor and Darcy are encouraged to move on to intermediate obedience training").

But what happens when what I said and what I meant don't really line up at all?  Specifically, I'm thinking of goal 101: Get 3 professional massages in a month.  What I meant was: fix my back, neck, and shoulders.

For about 5 years now I've been dealing with some nasty muscle knots.  They don't massage out and they hurt like the dickens.  One time I actually did get a massage, and the masseuse just looks at me and goes: "The tension in your back is amazing.  It normally takes people 60 years to amass the tension you have at age 20."  Ouch.

I thought if I made it a goal to get 3 massages, I might actually fix the knots.  But then a few weeks back, plans got tweaked.  I went to the Washington Bridal Showcase, and one of the exhibitors was a local chiropractor.  They did a nerve scan on my neck, and EVERY SINGLE VERTEBRA was out of alignment.  They encouraged me to come in.  I agreed.

Last week I had a preliminary appointment where they watched how I stood and how I walked, took x-rays, and did a full nerve scan on my spine.  Last night was my follow up.  Long story made short, I'm a bit of a mess but I'm fixable.  My one hip is 13 millimeters higher than the other, my neck is like, 16 degrees less arched than it should be, and my muscles are all sore and knotted because my spine isn't aligned.  However, there's no permanent damage done to my nerves, ligaments or bones yet.

I also had my first adjustment while I was there.  It felt weird, but I'd had this headache that felt like a pinched nerve at the base of my skull, and it immediately went away.  My muscles loosened instantly... seriously, the muscles at the base of my neck/shoulders are constantly tense, and the knot went away for the first time in over a year.  It was incredible.

So yeah, I'll be going to the chiropractor for a while, but I'm on the road to being healthy again.  And this still doesn't deal with goal 101.  When I wrote that goal, it wasn't a luxury, it was a plea to fix myself in the best way I could think of.  Now it seems a little over the top, I think.

So what do you do when your circumstances change and a goal doesn't really fit anymore?