An update:
I did get enough relief in the intense lumbar back pain yesterday, through various selfcare modalities, + the 1600 mg ibuprofen
( 800 mg in the early-early a.m. and a second 800 mg. 8 hrs later) + 405 mg aspirin in the afternoon.

I did pull together the New Mexican Feast Day meal for my elder friends, and got it to their table, served, & all cleaned up by 7pm last evening. Yay.

They are very pleased and want me to cook for them 2-3 evenings a week. I'm trying to be responsible to my own needs and limitations, before overcommitting my time/energy capacities.

If it were simply the cooking only ... as I am presently ... it would be no big deal. However I must remain mindful that it's the grocery shopping excursions that "do me in". Can anyone relate? I'm sure many here can/do.

I did very well this week. I did most all of the grocery shopping on Tuesday at our local little family-owned uptown market, which I can handle/cope a-okay. I didn't have to drive to any of the bigger major groceries, further out, which are just (still) such an assault on my senses, that I have to "rest" and recover afterwards.

Anyhoo, I'm thinking that I might manage okay to cook 2 nights a week for them regularly, but for now, I simply cannot manage 3 --- despite how much I would like to do that.

I am just feeling that it may simply ultimately over time prove "too much" for me to sustain ... to do what I enjoy doing for others, yet making sure ahead of time that I am taking complete care of myself and not pushing-the-limits of my envelope.

I simply cannot afford to 'blow it' again this time, i.e. doing too much, not realizing it, and being unable to sustain the heightened level of activity & commitment ... ending up in burnout/collapse/relapse again. No no no. Cannot afford to go there again.

So for me today was a wholly uncommitted day (by choice) timewise and largely a planned/scheduled day of rest, restore, recoup, recover. I even declined an invitation to lunch 1:1 with a good friend. I 'saved' myself, my energies, my capacities all day, to have a quick, simple, nourishing early evening dinner at the home of a friend who'd cooked for us.

I've by now had my Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Extra tea x 2 cups this evening, a lavendar epsom salts bath, a cup of warmed milk with local honey, brushed my teeth, am in bed with Thursday Night House MD Party on Oxygen tv, fresh clean sheets on my bed, mattress turned-&-flipped, and took my newly today re-Rx'd lunesta 2mg, starting to yawn & hopefully very soon to nod into sweet sleep ... I hope.

All the best to each and all here.

Good night,

Theta