I Am...Hurting...

I realize I posted a while back about shoveling our driveway, back pain, etc. But in the days since, I've come to the conclusion that a) I'm really in a lot of pain and b) I'm not really doing anything to help it.

I've tried icing it, but that just leaves me with a large red splotch on my back and a numbness that might normally suggest I've been on the toilet for too long. I've tried pharmaceuticals, which seemed to work briefly but are now failing me. And I've even tried stretching, which if you know me, is just ugly. Nothing on my body stretches properly, except for my gut, and it is only partially involved in this current issue.

To make matters worse, I continue to engage in behaviors that are detrimental to the health of my lower back and leg -- the source of my current pain. This Sunday, I helped out with the 4 and 5 year olds at church. This group provides a somewhat ominous view of my next few years. These are some weird little people.

Unfortunately for me, it's not the girls who are so weird -- it's the little boys. One kid wore a seaman's hat, like the Captain in Captain and Tennille the whole morning. Another one wandered around with a protective hand down his shorts all morning. Another one would just occasionally yell "Blaaaaaah" and kick whatever object was nearest. It was crazy. I looked at Grant when I got home and wondered how I would protect my well mannered son from himself in the coming years.

The other detrimental behavior I keep engaging in is sitting around on my rear. My doctor keeps telling me "Don't sit any more than you have to!" But I've gotta tell you, this dude requires quite a bit of sitting. For one, my job requires me to sit at least half the day (3/4 if you count time in the john). I also quite enjoy watching movies at home or listening to music or reading books, none of which can be done while standing. (Don't you people with treadmills open your traps. I said I "enjoy" these things, not torture myself while doing them.) And finally, we just booked a vacation to drive to Florida over the course of 2 days each way. Perhaps they'll let me in the handicap lines at Disney World by the time I get there.