Big misunderstanding

Today I assumed I had completed my Escape Pain regime. I had asked Hannah at the outset how many sessions the clinic would run. When she said six I breathed a sigh of relief. It's been an effort to attend every Tuesday and Friday at the hospital and, though other class members are pleasant fellow pilgrims who have helped make each session worth attending, I was looking forward to dropping this weekly commitment.

Today I learned that the clinic runs for 6 weeks!  I am just half-way through!  How I came to make this mistake (hearing loss/ concentration blip/ wishful thinking) is a mystery.  But I felt rebuked when one of the other members expressed her gratitude that the NHS was spending so much time on us. Indeed, she said that she already felt a great improvement in her mobility.  

Each session begins with education on some key area like 'pacing yourself' or, today, 'using heat and cold appropriately'.  Then we limber up with a group exercise where each of us in turn suggests one of the many exercises we have learned.  Today I chose the shoulder roll backwards and forwards. (Yes, I thought you would be interested!)  Then we follow clockwise a series of timed exercises set up around the gym. At least one is always excruciating to perform and while Abba accompanies our flexing I tell myself it must be improving my joint pain

Apparently, having reached half-way, our next session comprises some heart-to-heart story-telling, preferably with positive stories of our progress so far. So, this is another of life's lessons that I should see another 6 sessions as sheer opportunity and be grateful. Yes, that's the challenge.