My Back Hurts

2/27/2010
Once upon a time I had a chocolate Lab named Ralph (named Ralph because George always wanted a brown, male dog named Ralph like the piano-playing Ralph of The Muppets). Ralph was a sweet dog. He was even more lovable than normal because he was unaware of his massive, 116 pound size, and honestly believed that he could sit on your lap. Ralph was also very curious and had what is probably the dog equivalent of human ADHD. One day I needed to put a harness on Ralph so that I could take him somewhere. It completely escapes me right now why I was in a hurry to accomplish this task. As usual, Ralph was interested in something else, so he wasn't terribly cooperative. I tugged on his collar to get his attention, which eventually progressed to my pulling on him as though he was a tug-of-war rope to get him to move. With as much effort as I was using to pull toward myself, Ralph was pulling in the opposite direction. And then, all of a sudden.....Ralph stopped pulling. I landed on my bottom on the cold, hard, tile floor....and was unable to stand.

That must've happened at least 8 years ago. We've since given Ralph to a wonderful woman who operates a doggy bakery and who has veterinarian parents. We had to, since Ralph was a very, very needy dog and we'd just brought home an attention-hogging baby. Still, every so often, I think of Ralph, and I miss him...until my back starts to hurt. Then I think of that fateful day that I should've decided to change my plans!
Prior to last weekend, I took my back for granted. I forgot how important it is in the process of walking. I bent over frequently without giving it a single thought. I used it often to sit and stand straight. And then all of a sudden, my back got tired of being used with no thanks. It finally got mad and pretty much declared that it would no longer work for me until I showed it some care and appreciation. I have had no choice but to listen and wait.