May 13: BackWords Story

It wasn't Freddy Krueger that kept me from wanting to fall asleep last night; it was my back. As the hours slowly ticked away, I remained awake watching video after video on YouTube. I wasn't even watching anything important or special. I was simply procrastinating from extinguishing the lights and crawling into bed.

Yesterday at eight o'clock in the morning, I woke up in extreme discomfort. My lower back was in knots and no matter how I turned my body, the pain was unbearable. Suffice it to say, I didn't get any more sleep. I stood up and tried stretching it out, but it was too painful. For the remainder of the day, I sat relatively motionless. Occasionally I would massage my back and twist just enough to feel the stretch, but I definitely didn't start my new push-up cycle like I had wanted to.

I went in to work last night fearing that I wouldn't be able to lift a tray or bend over for a dropped pen. Thankfully, the night progressed without too much worry and my back slowly started working itself looser and looser. It never felt great, but at least I was given some mobility to work with.

When I got home last night, I listened to the remainder of the Padres' game and wrote my blog. I took a shower and had a bagel. The hours of the night slowly drained as the fear of going back to bed and waking up the same way filled my mind. At 2:30 in the morning, I turned off the lights and went to bed.

This morning, the only pain was virtually gone and I was able to move with ease. I don't know if it's because I spent seven months sleeping on an air mattress or if it's because I'm getting old, but for a guy that is so naturally spry and flexible, my back has really given me some fits within the last year. I'm praying that these little spasms, cramps, and kinks are mid-twenty normalities and I'm not going to be crippled by the time I hit my mid-thirties.