Humbled, again.

Alas after a clean streak of a pain free back, I managed to strain it somehow in the last 24 hours to where I had to go home from work today due to the simple fact that I could barely bend over to lift the toilet seat.  Not exactly the condition you want to be in when lifting heaving objects/people is routine.  As such, I have had the distinct pleasure of lying in bed on an ice pack for the majority of the afternoon after sneaking into a chiropractic adjustment at Flip Spinal Care with Dr. Chris Wombeke- a.k.a. the miracleworker.  Not exactly chasing the dream nor living the adventure, but rather floating back down to earth and realizing that this is life- ups and downs, or in my case, big ups, and low downs.

I realized at an early age that there is a rule of life that you can’t really get away from (sorry for the use of the “impersonal you” Mr. {7th grade English teacher} Sullivan, I know you would not be impressed, but it just seems to work).  This rule is that if you’re gonna play, you’re gonna pay.  Kind of like my mantra when teaching my wife to ski, “If you’re not flying, you’re not trying”.  From tri-plane ankle fractures, to torn meniscus, to quads so battered from a bike wreck they swoll to the size of Lance Armstrong’s, I’ve had my share of time on Injured Reserve Status.  I accept it, though each time it happens, I am always so taken back by how much I take my everyday health for granted.  Life rolls along hunky dory and I manage to find small things to complain about and then WHAM! I get knocked out by the flu, or laid up with back pain and I once again get a new, more humble perspective.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t completely take my health for granted, I work hard on it every day.  But some things are out of our control.  And when all the sudden we’ve lost the ability to do what we want from a simple or complex ailment, we are harshly reminded how fickle our health is and how our daily life is so entwined in our ability to do as we please without limitations.

Today started like any other… Wake up early (5 a.m.), spend a half hour on the trainer (I know Phil, I’ve lost my soul to Satan), brew up a stronnnng cup of pour over, and head north to the quaint town of Whitefish for a fun filled day of working with the fine folks of Whitefish Fire.   I noticed right away this morning my back hurt as I awoke feeling like I had spent the night in a Maytag.  My mind tried to recollect what on earth I did yesterday that could leave me feeling this way… doing squats for the first time in months; no that was two days ago, I would’ve felt it yesterday… Oh yeah! On my afternoon jaunt up Mt. Anneaus yesterday my binding broke and I was reduced to hacking my way down 3000′ of wind-cake variable snow which I was negotiating with the equivalence of a first year skier center punching the Y-couloir- NOT PRETTY AND LOTS OF WRECKING!  “Oh well” I thought, I’ll just be careful today and focus on good lifting technique.   By 9:30 a.m. my left lower back had reached full spasm and I had to throw in the towel on playing it tough guy style and make the call of shame to Dr. Wombeke.  He fit me in during his lunch hour and once again reminded me that once I’m out of adjustment, it doesn’t take much to reignite the fire of inflammation in my back that has been with me ever since taking a fire engine on in a mano y machino battle of the century (A story to be told in the near future- you won’t want to miss it).

After a successful adjustment, I made it home and went straight to the thing I suck the most at- Rest.  Yep, popped a pill, grabbed a movie, and hunkered in for the day hoping that complete rest will allow the muscles to relax and pressure in my disc to release to get the healing process rolling.  It’s humbling when one day you’re storming up a mountain from the valley in swift and efficient fashion, battling the elements and winning, to the next, going home from work early to spend the day numbing your mind with foolish episodes of Breaking Bad and trying to finish the Twilight Saga you never made it through because you realized at some point, you’re watching a trilogy made for 16-year-olds.  But, we’ve all been there, we’ll be back there again soon, and then, we’ll have our health back again.  And we’ll go back to taking it for granted, but maybe the next time, we will hear the voice in the back of our head telling us that good health is uncompromisable.  It’s what allows us to be who we were meant to be, not some broken toy trying to mend itself with anti-inflammatories and Netflix.

Speaking of, I think the muscle relaxers are beginning to take effect and this post is losing all coherence.  Here’s to health, may it be yours today! (And mine tommorow!)  And remember that at times, it’s good to be humbled, if only to gain a more complete perspective and thankfulness.