Surfing. Hurts.

Stretch your bodies kids. Yes, wear your sunscreen, but for god's sake: stretch. I have read countless interviews with Gerry Lopez in which he describes waking at dawn and immediately working through a yoga routine. This is something I'd like to say that I do. But christ, I'm really stiff first thing in the morning. I'd also like to do push ups and sit ups every day, and occasionally I do, sometimes for an entire week straight. But, in reality, I'm just not that into working out. And as a painful and painfully easy to predict result, I hurt myself. Most recently I have angered one of the (small) muscles in my lower back, something that happens at least twice a year, enough to annoy and occasionally terrify me, but not enough to motivate me to become the next Taylor Knox. And it really, really hurts. Wrenching your back is supposed to be an old man's injury, so now my mortality is screaming me in the face. What would I do if I truly injured myself and couldn't surf anymore? How then would I justify my existence and hipper-than-thou attitude?

Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Let's hope it doesn't come to me having to bodysurf or ride a longboard for the rest of my life because of a lazy or careless injury (this is not to disparage loggers and bodysurfers--but hey, not my bag). But, I don't think I'll be taking back health for granted anymore. . . oh hell, who am I kidding. I'm absolutely going to do that. But I am writing this post while perched on a yoga ball, so that counts for something, right?