I did it

I made it through Thanksgiving and I managed to cook almost the entire meal! Better yet, I did not hit a pain crisis to do it either!

We have a bar stool in the kitchen. It is for me to use when cooking or doing dishes, so I can do it sitting down. I haven't used it as much as I should have as I am more comfortable cooking standing up, the way I was taught. Well this year I realized if I wanted to cook the meal, I would have to use it. So I did. My sister-in-law Stephanie and my next door neighbor Diane both helped me with the preparation of everything such as cutting up celery for the stuffing, to basting the turkey, etc.

I had promised my husband that I would stop if my pain hit a 7 or 8, and let someone else finish the cooking. Well by the time it got that high, the turkey was done and everything else was in the oven needing 30 to 45 minutes and then it was time to eat. So I left that last bit for someone else to do and went to sit in bed.

I managed to spend the day mostly out of bed also and visiting with my friends who had come over to share a meal. This year I tried something new. We were all sitting around the living room (my dining room table won't fit that many people plus all the food so we ate around the coffee table in the living room) and each of us stated a few things we are thankful for. I know it might sound a bit corny, but I really wanted to add something special to the day because it felt special to me. I was pleasantly surprised when everyone agreed to it and participated without getting giggly, embarrassed, or anything.

It was a wonderful day!

My back has been more sensitive since then and I have returned to being unable to stand for more than 3 minutes, but I think I will be able to cook dinner more often if I use the bar stool.