Almost in KL!.. Ok.. really about my back

Ahh.. in the air again! 

I wonder if flying does anything to your bones.. sometimes I think I can actually hear them complaining? 

I hope they are doing ok.

I think it was the trip to Canada in October of last year that started crazy things with my back.  It was the second long-haul in almost as many months: Cairns – Brisbane – Los Angeles – Vancouver – Cuba – Vancouver, L.A., Brisbane, Darwin, Kununurra.. back again.  When I was home.. stiff back.. and my hips hurt.  I actually took solace in the fact that I knew that while it was my hips that complained, it was actually coming from my back. 

So, I let it rest.  Vas said it too.. let it rest.  So I did.. I laid around, wrote and painted and (I would LOVE to say drank beer.. but no,, I ate cabbage soup) 

It was so hot.. so who can exercise.  Then it was hot and rainy.  I tried to exercise at home, but that seemed to cause me more pan.  Muscle stiffness translated into back pain.  Better not to exercise

and I let it rest. 

But that isn’t the way it works.  Letting things rest can mean letting things go.. seize up. An object in motion wants to stay in motion and if your are resting.. then that’s all you can do.

That is what happened to my back. 

I rested my way into an even worse condition. 

Leaving Kununurra with a body core containing little muscle, I drove to Alice, camping in the car.. then flew to Sydney ..sleeping in a variety of strange beds as I went.  After another long haul flight to Taipei and letting myself freeze at that airport for 16 hours before getting into Vancouver I had to get my brother, the one with the bad shoulder, to load and unload my bags. 

Then finally, I collapsed at mom and dads! 

I have to remember this. Glue it to the Velcro of my brain.

I need to remember that stab of pain when I went to put on my pants. 

I need to remember how I struggled across the driveway and signalled for Jackie to carry the grapes that I couldn’t.. because they were too heavy to lift?!?! 

I need to remember because I don’t want it to happen again and the solution is to remember. 

Remember to see a physiotherapist or a chiropractor to keep things in line. 

Remember to go swimming or do Tai Chi or yoga or something EVERYDAY…

Remember that I bought a big silver ball for a reason. 

Remember to stretch.  

Remember to listen when my ‘hips’ complain. 

Doing nothing is not resting.  Doing nothing is ..doing nothing.  It’s the one thing that people regret ‘doing’ when looking back over their life. 

Looking back at the things I have done in my life so far I have few regrets and I am not going to start now. I am not going to start by NOT doing…

I am almost in KL  I am learning the things that will be so much a part of me I will forget there was a time when I didn't know... KL is Kuala Lumpur..  there are three cultures of people here: Malays (80%), Chinese (15%) and Indians..  English is the only language you need to get around the place…

It has been a long trip but.. my back is doing well.  I have been walking around every hour or so.. stretching.. and all good! 

Ahh! Almost on the ground again!  Hopefully I will take off running!