An Unexpected life change

About two weeks ago I bent over to pick up a piece of cement to load into a wheelbarrow and suddenly something didn’t feel right in my lower back. I thought that maybe I had just turned wrong or something, however I had done something to a disc in my lower back. I kind-of rested the next day, and took it easy at work the day after that, but by the fourth day I could barely reach down to touch my shoes, and was in pain whether I was sitting, standing, or feebly trying to work. At the point when throwing away a piece of sheetrock that was less than a pound caused intense pain in my lower back, I gave up on the idea of my back getting better on its own. I scheduled a chiropractor visit, and slowly began this process that I am discovering of recovery.

By now as I write this, I have been to the chiropractor five times, and am slowing feeling like myself again, however I am not 100%, I am much better than I was when I had attempted to solve the problem on my own. I had done everything I had known to do, however, some things are better suited to be fixed by professionals. I would never have been the person to think that before my 30’s I would have a somewhat major back injury, sure I don’t take some of the precautions that are recommended, but I have always been young, and have never experienced a broken bone, muscle sprain, or injury like this. It caught me off guard, and is still realigning how I am approaching life and work.

As I was sitting in the Chiropractors office listening to him examine, and ask questions, I began to realize that this was the moment when I realized the injury that was occurring in my back, however, I had been damaging it little by little for a long time, and this was finally the point where my back had experienced enough and I felt the pain of years of damage in one sudden moment. It is as if my back had no voice to the pain that I was causing it until this moment. Then with all its strength it screamed for me to stop what I was doing and change what I was doing.

It is funny how life works, All of creation, every injury, every animal, everything which surrounds us is speaking if we will listen and apply wisdom and understanding to it. If we will open our eyes and ears to things that are trying to guide us to a better way of living. My expectations for this month started out a lot different than they are currently, because of the pain that I have experienced, I have had to reevaluate what I will do with my time, effort, and energy. Many people experience moments like this where suddenly something happens which rocks them out of their normal routine and causes them to reconsider what they are doing and why they are doing it.

I hope that you will also take a moment to pause and see if you are causing yourself or others pain without hearing or feeling it at the moment.