Protected

Rolling onto my side this rainy morning, my hands gripped the covers pulled tight against my chin, and I squeezed my eyes tighter.  Cocooned by my blankets, not fully awake, I analyzed how I was feeling.  Could I pinpoint a headache?  Any joint pain?  Was I feeling a chill?

Slipping onto my back and unsqueezing my eyes I confirmed, no headache.  The joint pain I was feeling was the normal "your body is 54" joint pain that I have felt every day this year.  The chill?  The gas fireplace in the room hadn't clicked on so the room was a frigid 59 degrees.  

Flipping onto my other side, I became aware of discomfort in my right shoulder, a pain that eased as I moved my arm from under my body. I slowed my breathing and counted my blessings.  This was the minor pain of major protection.  

Grateful.