something old. something new.

the smell of a candle after it’s been blown out is one of my most favorite smells, probably because i associate it with candles from a birthday cake and once the candles are out that means the eating of the cake is close behind.

it also smells like a fresh start.

it’s a good thing i like the smell so much because january is a big birthday month in the mumford household. yes, all of my siblings and i were born in january. i start off the party on the 8th. sister J is the 10th. brother G is the 17th. and sister E is the 28th. (technically, only J was due in january, so you can stop with the jokes about my parents’ amorous nature in april.)

and so the SOMETHING OLD of the blog post title is sister J. HA HA HA. just kidding. you’re not old. you’re wise. and really good at nertz and motherhood and sisterhood and listening and loving and calling and chatting and giggling and playing and living and learning and standing in my corner and sending letters and doing all the things big sisters are supposed to do and then some. i hope your happy day yesterday is just the start of an even more amazing year to follow. here’s to even numbered ages!

so speaking of fresh starts and SOMETHING NEW, i tried acupuncture for the first (and second and soon to be third) time. it was interesting and weird and ultimately, helpful. there’s nothing like a 7 month old stiff neck that has radiated down into your arm so that it hangs lifeless at your side to make you want to try something radically different. i had gone with a friend to one of her appointments, so i know what it looked like, but this was the first time i was on the receiving end of it.

side one: the first pin pricked my foot, but that was the worst of it. all of the others (in my feet, legs, hands, arms, ears, face) went in rather harmlessly. as i lay there in the dimly lit room, the sensation of the needles in my skin disappeared and took with it the pain from my neck (well, momentarily). it was fascinating and at the same time, discouraging, because if this is the only time i felt relief that means i’m going to have to walk around with pins in me all the time and unfortunately, that’s not socially acceptable.

side two: i had to lay my stomach. painful! my neck felt like it had to hold up too much weight (my brain is huge!) and that hurt. while on this side, she had to “manipulate” the needles (in my neck, head, shoulder, back), i.e. wiggle them around until they could release the stressed, angry, naughty, pent up qi from my body. ouch. and by the time the relaxation period was halfway over, my bladder had reached its capacity, which, as you could guess, is not so conducive to a calm psyche.

after the procedure was over, i admit it, i didn’t feel much relief. i hopped over to cambridge naturals and bought one of the microwaveable heating pads, stopped at CVS to pick up some bengay sticky “relief patches”, and walked home. i’m sure the walk in the wind and cold didn’t do much to relieve tension in my neck muscles, but it sure made the contrast between that and the heating pad drastic. i heart that heating pad. and then i managed coerce roommate into working my neck muscles for a little bit, so after that, things were starting to look up. and so could i. woohoo!

the day after, though, that’s the ticket! that’s when the relief started to kick in. even though it is a slow healing process, i am a fan of this thing called acupuncture.

and that’s my something old and something new. now i just have to figured out my something borrowed and something blue. wait, this is a blog post, not a wedding ceremony.

phew.