I’ll never forget my dad’s first herniated disc. 
We were sitting in the bleachers at Compo watching Dad play softball, when the batter hit a pop-up just foul of third base. Hammerin’ Hank races in from left field and OWWWWWW! Life would never be the same.
Not really that bad, to be honest. Just inconvenient for him, and funny for the rest of us. He’d wear a back brace. Have Mom apply Ben-Gay. Make weird noises anytime he bent down. Aka-laka-laka-laka-laka.
I remember specifically thinking – as I’m sure we all do – ’I may get old one day, but that will NEVER happen to me.’
Which brings us to LA/XC-6, which you all now know has been “restructured” due to back problems. And unfortunately, no one understands this better than me. I’m now the same age Hank was when he slipped that first disc. And my back hurts. All the time. It’s changed the way I move and think about everything.
We’ll be hitting Little Rock, Nashville, Asheville, Greensboro, and other stops along the way. And my guess is I’ll be doing most of the driving. And I’ll have the seat up pretty much as far as it goes.
Because if I don’t, my back starts to hurt.
At least when I need advice on what stretches to do or what sleeping positions to try, I know where to turn.
In addition to being Hank’s last road trip, this will be my last trip before becoming a father – my wife and I are expecting a son in March. The thought of picking him up and holding him for more than two minutes at a time is already making my back hurt.
And from what I hear, things don’t tend to get better. When he gets older, this kid’s gonna find it hilarious when I bend with all legs to pick up a tennis ball, set up multiple couch pillows just to get comfortable, or get sidelined for a few days because I pulled a muscle on the toilet. And I get it. It’s funny. It’s fair. I deserve it.
But this gift will keep on giving. While Hank keeps saying this is the “Epilogue,” something tells me years from now, there will be another road trip. Hank will be 69+a lot more, I’ll be pushing 60 myself, and the little one will be a young man, starting to utter those first complaints about back problems of his own.
When I was a just a kid in the stands, I’d have never believed it. But I now have no doubt. Back problems are a Herman badge of honor. He’ll have them, too.
And when he needs advice on Biofreeze, he’ll know where to turn.
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