22 October, 2014

What's Weighing You Down?

I've been plagued with a fair amount of shoulder pain lately; nothing severe, but it's enough to be an annoyance. I've been babying it, treating it with ibuprofen and heat. Yesterday I was ready to leave the house for a scheduled haircut, I grabbed my purse... and the pain came shooting back! Small wonder. My purse and its contents weighed in at 5+ pounds. What was in there? Nothing that I considered to be excessive, but it all adds up: a wallet, keys, tissues, teabags, cell phone, tape measure, sun glasses  (and case) eyeglasses case, notebook, checkbooks, sanitizing wipes, a pocket calendar, eyeglasses cleaners, two ball point pens, throat lozenges, a bottle of ibuprofen, a lipstick and a baby flashlight.  I need to rethink what I carry around on my shoulder and the toll that all that weight is taking. How can I pare down this load? This won't be easy for me. For starters, I know that I only need one ball point pen! What's weighing YOU down?

Life is Good!

15 comments:

Paula, the quilter said...

I carry an across the body bag for work. Outside of work, it is my wallet, phone and keys. Period.

Quiltdivajulie said...

If you have a smart phone, write your notes in a message to yourself (saves needing a large notebook). Shift to a small cross body bag with a medium width strap and alternate shoulders whenever possible. Some items can stay in a small bag that waits in the car (with you but not ON you). Can you tell I've been down this road before (and had it confirmed by an ortho doc who had quite a bit to say on the subject of women and their purses)?

StitchinByTheLake said...

Like Paul I carry an across the body type purse these days. Back in my college days (for me that was 35+ years old) I carried a briefcase loaded with books with my left hand. Eventually it so deteriorated my shoulder that I ended up having surgery. Now I'm much more careful. blessings, marlene

Janet O. said...

Oh, you are telling my story, though my notebook is much smaller.
I use an across the body bag now, too. Having had a shoulder injury 10+ years ago, I have to watch what I do. I'm trying to avoid the surgery.
Good luck with your paring down. It is hard for us "prepared for anything" types to do that, but like the second suggestion, I often bring a second bag of things to leave in the car "just in case". : )

Linda said...

Wow! With all that stuff in your purse, you need to go on the TV show, "Let's Make a Deal". ;-)
I don't carry a purse if I can put everything in my pants pockets or jacket pockets, which most of the time I can.

Elita@Busy Needle Quilting said...

Oh, I hear ya! I have a small purse which I am trying to keep in good shape because I definitely don't need to be hauling anything bigger! If it's bigger, I'll just put more stuff I don't need in it. Funny how we think we "need" all this stuff! Good advice. :-)

NeverBored said...

Years ago my physical therapist told me I should be using a backpack not a purse; these were the instructions she got from her orthopedic surgeon after dealing with shoulder issues also. A backpack does distribute the weight more evenly and in my case, helps me stand up straighter. I proceeded to make myself a cute patchwork backpack that draws a lot of compliments. But in truth, I need to learn to carry less!

leigh anna said...

If it doesn't fit in Kyle's pockets, I'm not allowed to take it with me :)

lindsey said...

I can fully understand this as someone who suffers with back pain, we do forget about what we are carrying, how we are standing, sitting etc.

Just been looking through your previous posts...beautiful quilts!

lcm said...

you may want to ice your shoulder, i know i prefer heat but the ice is what really helps the inflammation

Nane said...

Let's see....Cheerios, toy trucks and lots of hand sanitizer seem to now always be in there. I am looking forward to using Apple pay so I don't have to carry anything but my drivers license and my phone!!

Ann Parks said...

And it isn't just what we put in our purses, but also the purse itself that, even when empty, might weigh a fair amount. I carry a small purse so that I'm not tempted to overload it, gave up carrying a checkbook once I realized how little I use it when shopping, and found the lightest weight wallet to pare things down. When my shoulder was really mad, I only carried what I could put in my pockets.

Millie said...

I feel your pain, literally and figuratively. I keep a smaller, paperback notebook, and a lighter wallet. I've trimmed down to one pen and travel sized ibuprofen and tissues. Julie's advice about a cross body bag is good. Also, think about getting a small bag just big enough for your wallet, phone and keys, and like Julie said.. leave the rest in the car.

JudyCinNC said...

What a wonderful reason to purchase a new purse. You will be surprised at the difference in wearing it across your body instead of on shoulder. I really like the idea of having an extra "purse/bag" in the car with all the stuff you do not need to carry everywhere, all the time. Why didn't I think of that. I love my much smaller purse so much I bought two. LoL Judy C in NC

cityquilter grace said...

my purse also weighs what seems to be a ton, a leftover from homeless days when i had to carry everything i thought i might need with me...still in the stone age using a franklin planner...plus wallet, coupons, sundry medicinals....all add up to a hefty total..