Twisted - my "Aha!" moment

This is not an art post.  Or an education post.  It is actually a personal post about my recent "aha" moment, that for some reason I just want to share with you all.  I don't really have images to go with the post, so I'll take this opportunity to share some recent photos with you along with the post.  (I hope nobody is offended by the "dragonfly porn"!)  Before you read further, please know I'm not writing this post looking for sympathy, and I'm not writing it to complain.  I simply want you to get to know me better.

I've been going to a chiropractor for back pain for many years.  Maybe 10 years or more years ago, some x-rays showed that along with the suspected disc degeneration, I have scoliosis.  I have known for years that I have one leg shorter than the other, first brought to my attention by my podiatrist (foot doctor).  But I never thought about it in the context of the rest of my  bone structure.  I knew my mother always nagged me to stand up straight when I was a kid, but for some reason, I was never told I have "scoliosis".  I suppose my leg length is directly related to my spine, and I am guessing I must have had scoliosis all my life, which has gotten progressively worse, contributing to my chronic back problems.

This summer, I noted an increase in the discomfort.  One Saturday, severe pain had me panicking, and at an emergency visit to the health center, a young doc ordered an x-ray of my back to rule out kidney stones.  Luckily, there were no kidney stones.  I was gobsmacked when the doc looked at my x-ray and said "you have the worst scoliotic spine I've ever seen!".  (Thanks, dude.)  My chiropractor ordered an MRI, and after various doctor visits and some physical therapy, I had spinal injections for pain management. The injections have helped somewhat, and at my doc's recommendation, I'm starting a gentle yoga class tomorrow. 

But with all this going on, it wasn't until a couple of days ago that some pieces fell into place and I had an "aha" moment about how clothing fits and falls on my body.

For the last several years, I've been repeatedly pushing my bra strap up on my left shoulder after it has fallen down. Very annoying.  I have shortened straps with no success.  I really didn't understand it.  I would just push up the strap and keep moving, without thinking about why.  But the reality is, that as a result of my crooked spine, my left shoulder slopes downward at a sharper angle than the right.  If  you  traced my silhouette, you'd discover my left shoulder is about 2" lower than my right shoulder. So Duh!  Of course the straps fall down!

Also for several years, I've been frustrated by clothing twisting on my body as I walk.  Whether I'm wearing a  button-down shirt or zip-up sweater, or jacket, or whatever,  when I walk down a hall or street or wherever I am, within a few minutes the straight seam or zipper or line of buttons is twisted to the right at the hips.  The waistbands of skirts and dresses all pull to the right.  Totally frustrating, awkwardly uncomfortable, and annoying.  Two days ago, from out of the blue, it hit me: it's simply because my spine is curved. Why has it taken me years to figure this out? 

 Of course, now that I've figured it out, I still have no idea how to fix it, and I despise how the crooked clothing and drooping strap looks and feels.  But at least I understand the WHY of it!  (I was always too embarrassed to say anything about it, because I never saw clothing twist on anyone else, and I couldn't imagine what was wrong with me.)

So maybe you expected a more enlightening "aha" moment than one about falling bra straps and twisted clothing.  Sorry; this is it.  But my DragonWing Arts classes start again this week so there will be new artsy posts coming your way soon, I promise!  Meanwhile, thanks for stopping by!