It’s been a few weeks since the April A to Z challenge, and I’d like to say that I’ve been reclining on a chaise lounge, reading inspirational romance novels, and sipping chamomile tea served with clotted cream on homemade scones. But I’d be lying.

Instead, I apparently betrayed my body that was trying to tell me to do the above, but my brain has an unbreakable habit of not listening to the fibromyalgia flares I’ve had off and on for 25 years.

But I’m up and running, actually moseying, around again, and this is what I have to say today.

Listen to your body. It is smarter than you and me. Especially as we age.

Other helpful things I’ve learned during my period of malaise:

If your porch lights don’t go on after your house is painted, do not spend money calling an electrician. Call your daughter. Get a step stool for her to check the bulbs. If she’s not successful, call the painter. He will tell you that painting has nothing to do with light bulbs, but he will helpfully send his painter son who, after one trip for checking out the switch, the bulbs, and the fuse box, will return a second day and discover the lights merely needed to be screwed in tighter. Much tighter. There was light on the second day.

If you have a tree with no trunk but several branches that now tops your eavestrough and crowds your downspout, and you are wondering if its roots will uproot your home, call for a landscaper’s advice. Find out that all the volunteer work you have done in your lifetime is nothing compared to this tree that has volunteered its presence in your yard. Yes! Volunteered! It was never planted or planned. The landscaper’s bid says it’s a volunteer tree and will only cost a few hundred to remove. I certainly wish this tree would have asked me beforehand if I wanted it to volunteer on my yard. The places where I volunteered always asked for volunteers. Seems to me asking makes sense.

Another thing on your body. When I was writing the A to Z posts, I met another blogger who had visited mine. Now I follow him, Mitch Teemley, and am enjoying his short daily posts. He recently referred to our bodies as our rental units. He says “some of my body parts are wearing a little thin.” I liked that analogy and his focus on counting our blessings. I’ll sign off now. Please read his post here.