Overdoing it

I’ve overdone it. Again. My right shoulder aches so much I can’t lift my hand to brush my hair. I sit on the couch, leaning back on cushions, a heat pack on my upper arm and shoulder, cursing myself. I really should know better.

But I get into this headspace in the garden. A clear day and so much to be done. I wander from one task to the next. I dig plants up and plant others. Chop at the roots of a misplaced wisteria; the swing of the axe in my hands feels so good. The satisfaction of finally getting it out ripples through me. I fill the wheelbarrow with fresh soil from down by the drain we had dug at the end of summer and push it up to fill in the holes. The soil is loamy, but it’s wet and heavy. I lean my weight into the wheelbarrow and sweat trickles down my back.