I've had muscle spasms in my back on and off for the last couple of months, but I gotta say this week… this week has been a doozy. I've been trying to be good with stress, and eating well (dessert doesn't count), and taking the right supplements, and EXERCISE! I admit I'm having a hard time finding that balance of not too much and not too little. In fact, this all started when I started working out again. I just thought I injured myself, and I would get better, but I haven't. And now that my body has had a taste of the exercise… it wants more! I mean, what the hell, body, this is the addiction you're gonna choose? I don't even like exercise, and besides it hurts!

I can't find the thing that's setting off the muscle spasms, or strike the right balance of activity. All I know for sure is my body doesn't like to sit for long periods of time, which is kind of a problem when you're a writer. Staring at a computer is a big part of the job. Or have to drive a car. Or want to binge watch TV.  I've been sitting (heh) with the issue, meditating more, trying to figure out what I'm doing (because I know it's something I'm doing – probably something silly like "don't cross you're ankles while eating oranges, oh and you're secretly worried about such-and-such"), and I'm still coming up with nothing. So I was turning the old tarot cards one night (because, yes, that's something I do when I'm stuck) and I was getting messages about shut up and listen. So I listened and listened hard, waiting for divine insight, the profound epiphany that will help me resolve my back spasms, and I don't hear anything except the cat meowing. So I start talking to the cat, and she meows back, and my husband is giving me the eye as I'm wiggling in pain on the couch in discussion with my cat, and I'm wondering why the heck is he looking at me like that?

It turns out… that no one could hear the cat except me! She was outside the whole time. But she did want to come in, so I'm pretty sure she was communicating with me telepathically. I mean, clearly, the muscle spasms are just the psychic ears opening up. It seems obvious now. I'm sure soon I'll be able to chat with whales, or possibly fairies. So cool, right?

(I reserve the right to refuse sense while in pain.)