Spasm! Spasm! (I loved the movie French Kiss).
I started to have the same lower back pain last week that has been plaguing me for years, but since it has always gone away without me having to rest it, I ignored it like I usually do. Sunday was the first day that I became aware that something might be very wrong. When getting out of bed took the ‘try hard’ of sending a V6, I was certain that this injury was beyond anything I had ever done. So I really really rested on Monday and was perfectly bored and miserable. I awoke Tuesday and my back had not made much progress, but there was a problem. The wind was forecast for 17-19mph out of the south. On top of that, it was going to be low tide after work which usually means less waves to deal with. It was too perfect for me to just sit back and do nothing!
Wilbur and I packed up the truck and arrived at Huguenot to the sight of several festive colored kites over the water. At this point, I know people’s kites as well as their faces, and sometimes I recognize the kite better. I could already tell who was out and I knew it was a fun crew. The conditions were perfect at the beach and there were hardly any tourists. Wilbur quickly pumped up his kite and got going while I tried to console myself by knowing that this certainly wasn’t going to be the last day the wind ever blew at Huguenot. I sat and took pictures and watched everyone having an amazing time until I almost started to cry. The ache to kite was too overwhelming. I finally hobbled over, got my kite out and proceeded to pump my kite up with one hand, which was all I could manage through the pain in my back.
Thankfully, Wilbur saw what I was doing and came back in. To yell at me. He said my back was too screwed up, the waves were too big, the gusts were too strong, blah blah blah. When he realized that nothing was going to stop me, he took over pumping my kite while I took forever getting ready (it really is amazing how slow things go when you can’t bend over). I finally got all hooked in and launched my kite. The pain was there, but as soon as I got my kite in the air, I stopped thinking about anything but staying safe. As I was heading out to the water with my board, it didn’t take long for me to realize I had a problem. I had been unable to sit down on a chair without pain for three days, how was I going to sit in the water and get the board on? All I can say is that it is amazing what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it. Honestly, I didn’t even feel any pain. I just sat down, popped the board on my feet and went. My back didn’t even utter a twinge. I did a couple of runs in the shore break, walked back upwind and did a few more. After that, I lowered my kite to Wilbur thinking I shouldn’t push my luck. During that time of kiting and for several hours afterward, I felt almost normal.
It has now been almost two weeks and while my back is better, it is no where near being healed. I have ceased to walk normally and have adopted what I can only describe as a western-style saunter. I’ve been playing tennis, but it has been a joke. Wilbur is a doll to put up with it. I can’t run, so if the ball is more than three steps away I just watch it go by. However, some good is coming out of this. I have finally learned how to hit a one handed slice backhand since it takes a lot less effort than my two handed backhand. And I am finally learning that since I have knees, I might as well bend them since it takes a lot of pressure off of my back. There’s always a silver lining.
The wind is forecast for 17 mph tomorrow, hopefully kiting will have the same effect it did last week and heal my back altogether.
Please enjoy some more random photos.
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| Who’s a tugboat? |
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| If anyone knows what these flowers are, please tell me. When I’m near them I can’t focus on anything but how beautiful they are. |
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| Paul teaches lessons at the beach. He is very, very good. |
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| I think this little fella is a plover. Who’s a plover? |
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| Wilbur taking it out, |
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| and bringing it home. |
girlkiter 