I had cataract surgery yesterday. Today, my back really hurts.
I blame the rush and the snow.
See, I shoveled about 450 square feet of snow in the past week, not counting yesterday morning. Yes, I calculated it. Yes, I’m a nerd. The length of my driveway, the width of a car, the height of the new snow, the number of times I shoveled, all multiplied.
And never once did my back hurt after doing it. Yes, I was sore, but my back didn’t threaten to blow out and lay me up for a week. I’m at that edge today.
The difference?
Yesterday morning, after Mike had shoveled most of the driveway, all that was left was a section by the road that was about 15 feet long. If I multiply that by the six feet of width and the ten inches of new snow, adjusted to feet, it adds only 75 more square feet to my total. It wasn’t that much.
I think what happened was that I couldn’t take my time with it, let my back unclench each time after I flung a scoop.
See, I know my back. I had surgery on it in 1984. That’s a long time to figure it out. My back likes exercise. It does. But, it likes to be able to rest in between and go at its own speed.
A surefire recipe for me to have my back go out is to try to keep up with someone faster. I just can’t. But since I have a competitive nature, it’s hard for me to back down. That’s probably the main reason why I hike alone these days. I can hike with my nephew, but even with Mike, I feel rushed and end up straining.
So yesterday, when we were trying to move ten new inches of snow, when I had a surgery to show up for, when I was trying to be on time, I rushed. I did.
This morning, the morning after my surgery, the only thing that really hurts is my back.
Thank you for listening, jules