Back in the Water

4 to 5 months ago I slipped stepping off a ladder, spun around, and stuck my arm out to absorb the blow — acute shoulder pain. I lay there thinking, just how bad is this? Well, pretty bad, not so much in the severity of the injury, but in the time it’s taking to heal.* But finally, it’s getting better bit by bit. I’ve gone to an acupuncturist, a traditional Chinese massage guy, a great physical therapy lady, and done light shoulder exercises when I can remember them during these busy times. Trying to avoid surgery.

   I’ve found during the course of many injuries over the years, that you get to a point where you’re not making any progress, and you have to push a little into the pain zone with rehabilitation. The trick is to work the injured area enough to get circulation going and repairs started, but not screw things up even more.

   So, feeling a bit better, I went surfing last night, and it was a thrill to be back in the water for the first time in four months. I only got one ride, and that was on my knees (more than a bit rusty), but it was a start. Getting into the ocean in any manner whatsoever gets the chi flowing.

*I heard a comedian one day talking about how fast young people heal. He said when you’re 18, you can get fairly badly hurt, then stand in front of the mirror and watch yourself heal.

About Lloyd Kahn

Lloyd Kahn started building his own home in the early '60s and went on to publish books showing homeowners how they could build their own homes with their own hands. He got his start in publishing by working as the shelter editor of the Whole Earth Catalog with Stewart Brand in the late '60s. He has since authored six highly-graphic books on homemade building, all of which are interrelated. The books, "The Shelter Library Of Building Books," include Shelter, Shelter II (1978), Home Work (2004), Builders of the Pacific Coast (2008), Tiny Homes (2012), and Tiny Homes on the Move (2014). Lloyd operates from Northern California studio built of recycled lumber, set in the midst of a vegetable garden, and hooked into the world via five Mac computers. You can check out videos (one with over 450,000 views) on Lloyd by doing a search on YouTube:

4 Responses to Back in the Water

  1. Pushing into the pain…sounds like it can apply to a lot of things, eh?

    I just wanted to let you know that you're a huge inspiration. I'm so happy to visit your blog…thank you so much for all the inspiration!

  2. Proteolytic enzymes break down protein have been shown to reduce the amount of fibrin in the damaged capillary and improve circulatiom.the small blood vessels are responsible for carring oxygen and nutrients to the cells and removing waste.I tore both knees by falling down stairs trie everything nothing worked.These are miracle workers no surgery.

  3. Ah yes, when you're 18, you're ten feet tall and bulletproof. I remember. I wasn't always a creaky old lady who can't stand up straight, after getting out of a chair.
    Surfing, though? Wow, way to try!
    K

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