Pull 2 Pranks and Call Me In the Morning…

Doh, this aching back!  It makes me so mad!  See, I fell victim to a prank about 15 years ago.  I use the term “victim” loosely, because anyone who knows me, will attest that I’m quite a prankster. In reality, the prank was a payback for another prank I had done.  Anyway, I digress.

As a result of said “prank”, I wound up with a bulging disc and needed surgery.  Yes, the kind of surgery where you find yourself buck-naked, spine up, face down in the ER, hoping that you’ll come out of it with full use of your limbs. Fortunately, I did.  Over the years I’ve learned to compensate for the chronic pain and limited mobility that have ensued. But, there are days that it gets old… and I grumble.

Part of my problem, is that I still see myself as a resilient teenager – capable of many athletic blunders.  But alas, no more.  I’ve hit a road block.

I participated in Pilates yesterday, and the instructor stepped up our workout. I was so excited.  My core was fully engaged as I pushed my posterior rumpus up high into the air. Then, following that move, we twisted at an angle and repeated the posterior rumpus lift again. I just want to see how many times I can say “posterior rumpus”. At the time, it felt like the adult version of hanging upside down on the monkey bars. I felt like a happy little kid, playing on the Pilates reformer. I now believe that twisting is a no-go motion for my body, moving forward.

I woke up this morning with back spasms. I hate that.  Every so often, I feel like I’ll end up face planted on the floor.

But, I’ll continue down my path of activity. I need to get over to the gym and try to put about 3 miles on the bike and another 2 on the treadmill. I believe if I can accomplish those, I’ll be fine playing 4:4 quasi-competitive basketball with our friends tonight.  (See Wallyball for more information regarding my athletic prowess.)

Real recovery for today??  If time allows, I’ll pull a prank on my OCD husband by mixing up his t-shirts that are organized, by color, in his closet.  Right now they go white, white, white, blue, blue, baby blue, dark blue, yellow, red, red, gray, black.  He will fall into a panic frenzy when he grabs a shirt for basketball and finds them “organized”: white, blue, red, black, yellow, white, red, blue. Bah-ha-ha! My back is feeling better already!

What mischievous rituals help you feel better when you are in pain?

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