Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Working Hands

Per rough calculation, I played piano for The Longwood Players -- much of it pounding Jason Robert Brown soul-chords -- for 27 hours last week, ending at 11 p.m. on Sunday night.

Woke up Monday with blood swelling and throbbing through both hands -- my right, particularly stiffened into a rigor mortis claw. Could not grip my toothbrush. Riding the bus to work, standing, I could not get purchase on a seat-back with either hand, resorting to straddling a pole with armpit and calf to keep standing. Today, typing is more comfortable .... although the computer's mouse is still my sworn enemy, as the area between index finger and thumb is puffed up like a bruise and resistant to that reclined angle.


Thankful the hands survived this week's (unusual, due to the concentrated confluence of auditions and rehearsals and shows) onslaught.  The thumb will recover, the stiffness will undoubtedly subside because nothing is injured.

I'm reminded again how nice it is, and how grateful I am, when these wonders of God's creation work correctly.

4 comments:

brandi said...

Holy crap, I've never seen someone's hands be like that from an instrument.

Joy said...

I'm still thankful you're playing piano at all!

Karin said...

@Brandi ....you obviously haven't dated any classical guitar players. :-)

Brandi said...

Indeed I have not. Was never much interested in musicians for some reason, and neither were they interested in me! Callouses I understand, but bruisiness and swelling seems Xtreme. :-)