In my ongoing efforts to post more frequently, more on topic for this little blog, I offer you the following story.
Life throws lessons at you at unexpected times. I began correcting my back and posture for my boys, but the benefits have redounded to so many aspects of my life. For example, some time ago at a wedding I learned a couple of lessons: first; wedding music is really loud and second; 2 year-olds in suits, dancing to that music are really cute.
The dinner and speeches were done, the bride and groom had danced their first dance, and the microphone was turned over to the DJ. He called on the attendees to hit the dance floor and cranked up the music. No one moved, until out ran my (then) 2 year old, to begin “dancing.” Have you ever seen a 2 year old dance? Well, the sheer cuteness of it broke the ice, and the party began.
Unfortunately, he then wanted to dance with Daddy. I say unfortunately because Daddy hasn’t danced since sometime in the late Jurassic era, when he attended ballroom classes. I suppose a third lesson could be learned; you can’t foxtrot to hip-hop. At any rate, the little guy wouldn’t be denied, so I hoisted him up on my shoulders and headed out onto the hardwood.
As with so many physical activities, I approached this with trepidation, since bopping around with 30 lbs on my shoulders, in dress shoes, on a hardwood floor, seemed to me to be an invitation to a strained back and several days of pain and recovery.
It wasn’t.
Oh, sure, when I got home I was a little tired, and my back muscles were a little sore, and here’s the “but.”
But, the next morning, after a good night’s sleep, I was up and ready to go. No pinched nerves, no back pain, no three days to recover. The journey to get to that place was arduous, but absolutely worth the effort. I fixed my back, I fixed my posture, and now I can play with my kids when they want, how they want, as long as they want, and without fear of the morning after.
What began as an exercise in teaching my boys better posture, through leading by example, ended up improving my whole quality of life, and making me a better Daddy at the same time.
What about you? What in your life would be improved absent the fear of crippling back pain?
