Tuesday, September 01, 2009
a Winter without painCategories: Life in progress
Ever since my first Winter in Tokyo - 1997 - I have experienced sciatic-related back pain. That first Winter was much colder than I expected, and all I had was a thin futon on the tatami, and one quilt to cover me. I spent the whole winter sleeping curled up in a ball. And then my back started to hurt, and it has been hurting in the cold ever since. I love all the seasons for different reasons, but I started to dread the inevitable pain that Winter would bring. Last year was pretty bad, with the pain setting up residence in my left leg instead of the right, just for a change. Up until then it had been fading in and out, but with the shift to the new leg, it got quite fresh and ouchy. I got my first hoop about this time of year, and found it difficult to hoop for any length of time due to the pain it caused at the time and the couple of days that followed.
And then I met a Very Nice Man.
This Winter has been completely pain-free, the first in 12 years. I attribute this largely to the VNM. I think that all the woolen thermal layers I bought back at the start of Winter may have been a contributing factor, and I think hooping might have been too, but mostly I think being so warm, all night, for so many nights, has done wonders. So now I need to find a way to express my gratitude…
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