The virtues of drop ceilings

When you think of Norway or the Lofoten islands you probably think of something like this:

...You probably don't think of something like this:

...That's the ceiling of the apartment we're staying in here in Stamsund on Lofoten. I spent much of our first ten days here looking at it.

Pain in the back

I threw my back out on the way to Germany from the Netherlands a couple weeks ago. One of those 'I was just bending over to pick up my pants' things. Lots of pain, awkward movement, difficulty sitting, hard to get in and out of beds and cars.

This is very rare for me. It's happened like this only ever once before.

I, of course, have been climbing and running and crawling and boulder hopping in every country we've been in. This put a serious crimp in not only my back but my style.

What I learned lying on my back

This injury was an opportunity for me. Here's some things I learned:

Staying home while the large group you're traveling with galavants around provides you with a sustained calm amidst the social storm which makes you appreciate everyone even more when they're back.

Not doing things is hard but, like all difficult unfamiliar things, it pays significant dividends chief among them that my thought stream shifted from Colorado rapids to lazy southern river.

Seagulls have complex social lives.

Asking for help gives those around you an opportunity to be helpful.

Teenagers are very mindful of others when those others have clear, unambiguous needs.

Not running ahead on the trail gives you time to talk with others especially Jessica who is my very very favorite person to talk to.

It's a true pleasure to take a break in the middle of a hike - not to try my grip strength on a boulder or practice my handstand - but to find a patch of heavenly soft heather and look at the clouds.

Practice run

I suspect that the ratio of time I spend injured and lying on my back is going to only increase as I age. This was a great training session for those future slow river periods. Perhaps I will work on training this still-skill in the same way I work on strength training with kettlebells. I will surely need it.

Patience is a virtue

My back is finally better. I didn't rush things and I asked for help so I didn't re-injure it. Here in the final days of our Norway trip (and the entire jubilee!) that has enabled me to do and see things like this:

In stillness,

- david