Day 205 - Overuse Injury

'ave it

I suppose it was inevitable that my penchant for tempting fate would eventually come back to bite (or in this case tweak) me.

I do believe that there's a living consciousness that's bigger and more potent than us puny humans.  I won't call it god as that would put all sorts of preconceptions into your mind, all of which would be built on baseless assumptions and your own conditioning.  

One of these preconceptions would be the idea that it might for some unfathomable reason be interested in me, or my life, or any of us humans (or any life on earth)...moreover, that it would wish to interfere, somehow, perhaps rewarding me for behaving in a specific way, or more often punishing me for not behaving in a specific way. 

If god was all powerful, wouldn't he have made us incapable of "sin"?  Wouldn't he have just not created "sin" in the first place?  Wouldn't he have made a perfect world populated with perfect beings, if that's what he wanted of us?

It seems to me that he's either rigged the game against us (in which case he's a bit mean), or he just made a bit of a mess of it (in which case he's not all that omni-anything)...or he doesn't mind what we do, hence bestowing us with free will and all that jazz (in which case he seems kinda cool and creative).

Anyway, maybe this consciousness was involved in putting together the fundamental laws that make up The 'Verse, although the established and emergent laws of physics seem to be on top of that particular little puzzle all on their own.

Perhaps more likely it's just another level of consciousness, an order (orders) of magnitude greater than ours, and virtually inconceivable to our limited capacity brain and mind systems...and no more interested in us that we are in bacteria.

Or (and this is the answer I lean towards) maybe it's simply the sum of all consciousness in the Universe - which self evidently exists (somewhat helpfully, via the laws of logic).  

In any case, why would this consciousness interfere in my life large, obvious ways, and what would be the mechanism of this? 

I like to demonstrate my faith(!) in this model of The 'Verse by flying in its face - daring it to interfere and punish me for my ignorance. 

My team at work hate it when I trip out the Q word, as in, "It all seems nice and quiet today, doesn't it?"...they are convinced that this will invoke an immediate tsunami of support calls - despite the fact that it never does. 

Several times, earlier this year, I mentioned to a variety of climbing friends and partners that the niggly injury phase of my climbing development appeared to be over...I just don't seem to get all the annoying little tweaks and tears, sprains and strains, bumps and bruises that used to be permanently in residence, irritating fingers, feet, shoulders, hips, elbows - pretty much anywhere there's a joint!

Then a few weeks ago (actually a month ago today), fate stopped by to slap me around a bit...

I was on a reasonably easy bouldering problem at the indoor wall, early in the session, when my cold hands popped off a hold...and immediately knew I'd properly hurt something...

Two or three of the main fingers on my right hand have been stiff and sore since...I think I've got some kind of minor soft tissue injury, maybe between the A2 and A3 pulley system on my middle finger. 

Over 4 weeks later, and they're not appreciably any better...it doesn't hurt, most of the time, although it seems a little swollen and it takes a while in the morning before my fingers start to work properly. 

Curiously, I can still play the guitar with no problem (other than that I'm just generally a bit rubbish these days).

I can still climb, too, and therein lies the rub - should I be resting it or working through the injury?

It only really bothers me in case it impacts my climbing...but I've climbed several times, including another hard bouldering session, and it's ok once I warm up - it doesn't really hurt when I'm on the wall or rock...

...but then it's stiff the next day, and no better...so should I rest?  Or not rest, given that it's getting neither better nor worse for being climbed on?

I'm fairly sure I know the answer to that one - it essentially boils down to a simple question:

To climb, or not to climb?

Virtually every time I find myself faced with this question, I end up siding with DMM:

Climb now, work later.

A motto for life, if ever there was one!

B-)