Two days after Christmas, and a day after shoveling out from a hefty amount of snowfall, I found myself in an extraordinary amount of pain that was focused in my lower back near my left hip after having bent down to pick up a rather innocuous object. I could barely move for the first couple of days, had to sleep in our recliner for several nights, took more ibuprofen than I have in my life, and am still feeling twinges now, over two weeks later. I have learned some things about myself because of this experience, and I thought I should share them.
1. I am a wimp. Seriously, don't entrust me with state secrets if there is any chance that I will be tortured for the information. I will give them up. Within minutes of this blinding pain, I was making deals with God and following nearly any suggestion given to me in the hopes that the pain would abate. I am usually anti-medication, but I was taking any pills that people offered me for a while. I was fortunate to be on vacation, because I wasn't going anywhere those first few days.
2. I am getting older. I've seen the growing amount of grey on my head, witnessed the increased amount of aches and pains I have each morning, and trimmed the forests of hair that have been growing out of my nose and ears, but this experience, especially the recovery time, has really brought home the fact that I am not a young man any more. While I don't think of myself as old, this has made me realize that I am not as young as I used to be either and, worse, that there are some things that I will not be able to do any more.
3. I am out of shape. I have been less active this past year than any previous, and this was the price that I had to pay. I have been walking around with a gut that makes me look like I am in my second trimester for over a decade now, and I am certain that it was this weight that dragged my back out of joint. I need to do something about this now if I don't want to fight this pain again. To the young men who are just starting to chub, do something about it now. It is incredibly difficult to do something about it once you've got the gut.
4. I am insensitive. I am only now able to have some level of appreciation for my wife's pregnancies. I did not really appreciate her complaints of back pain until now. I almost wish that I had experienced this earlier in my life so I would have been more helpful and empathetic when she spoke of her difficulties sleeping, sitting, and walking.
5. I am blessed. It takes losing something to realize what I truly have. I have had a healthy, happy, and largely pain-free life. Not everyone has been as fortunate as I have, and I thank God for all of the blessings He has given me. May it not take another experience like this for me to appreciate what I have.
I have heard these same lessons learned from other people before my experience. Still, I hope that those of you who have not had this experience can learn from mine and avoid ever having one, live a healthier life, be more empathetic, and be able to count your blessings.
1. I am a wimp. Seriously, don't entrust me with state secrets if there is any chance that I will be tortured for the information. I will give them up. Within minutes of this blinding pain, I was making deals with God and following nearly any suggestion given to me in the hopes that the pain would abate. I am usually anti-medication, but I was taking any pills that people offered me for a while. I was fortunate to be on vacation, because I wasn't going anywhere those first few days.
2. I am getting older. I've seen the growing amount of grey on my head, witnessed the increased amount of aches and pains I have each morning, and trimmed the forests of hair that have been growing out of my nose and ears, but this experience, especially the recovery time, has really brought home the fact that I am not a young man any more. While I don't think of myself as old, this has made me realize that I am not as young as I used to be either and, worse, that there are some things that I will not be able to do any more.
3. I am out of shape. I have been less active this past year than any previous, and this was the price that I had to pay. I have been walking around with a gut that makes me look like I am in my second trimester for over a decade now, and I am certain that it was this weight that dragged my back out of joint. I need to do something about this now if I don't want to fight this pain again. To the young men who are just starting to chub, do something about it now. It is incredibly difficult to do something about it once you've got the gut.
4. I am insensitive. I am only now able to have some level of appreciation for my wife's pregnancies. I did not really appreciate her complaints of back pain until now. I almost wish that I had experienced this earlier in my life so I would have been more helpful and empathetic when she spoke of her difficulties sleeping, sitting, and walking.
5. I am blessed. It takes losing something to realize what I truly have. I have had a healthy, happy, and largely pain-free life. Not everyone has been as fortunate as I have, and I thank God for all of the blessings He has given me. May it not take another experience like this for me to appreciate what I have.
I have heard these same lessons learned from other people before my experience. Still, I hope that those of you who have not had this experience can learn from mine and avoid ever having one, live a healthier life, be more empathetic, and be able to count your blessings.
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