So, I’m on a break from my gig.

3 Weeks off, after 4 1/2 months which were challenging & educational. It’s been a good thing. But as always, don’t ask me what I think half way through rehearsals You’d think that by now, at this point in my life, I would realize that the discomfort, self doubt & insecurity of the rehearsal process is going to affect me. That I’d be able to say, to myself, “Bob, it’s all a part of the process. Let it happen but don’t take it seriously. They cast you for a reason.” But no, I still let my actor’s insecurity take over and go straight to” Well if they don’t like what I do, we should just part ways. I don’t need this. I could be relaxing at home, maybe singing around town just for fun, what, where and how I want to”. Luckily, again, they didn’t take me up on it and now life is better, meaning I have other things to complain about. I am such an old man at times….

…but I digress…

So I’m on break. I decided a while ago thatI would spend the majority of my break in warm, sunny Southern California. As it turns out, not totally warm & sunny, but warmer and sunnier than Ohio tends to be in Dec. / Jan. A great visit in general. Didn’t get to see everyone. But got to see a lot of good friends, drink some good wine, eat some good food & run some bitchin trails. A nice 10 days.

But all good things must come to an end so on Monday I started my trip back to Cincinnati. Got the better part of a week to see some local friends, relax a bit and get ready for the next leg of the tour, which will span about 4+ months and include 2 weeks back here in late April / early May. While I was in L.A. I picked up a few things I needed, including a new, larger backpack, so I had 3 pieces of luggage to schlep to the airport. all backpack or duffle bags, not a roller bag in sight. So there I am, festooned with bags, trudging over to the American airline counter. Am I worried about weight distribution? No way! It’s not like I’m a 65 year old man with a history of lower back issues, dating back to my fitness instructor days. Not a thing to worry about.

Do I need to write the rest?

I bend over, bags still draped all over me, to check in at the kiosk and get my bag checks printed, when pain shoots through my lower right side. Not a warning shot across my metaphorical bow. A direct hit, amidship.

Ouch.

So, now bending at the waist has been taken off of the board as a physical option. It’s not a completely unfamiliar situation. It’s happened before. But guess what? It’s happened again. Right here and right now. And I have about 8 hours of airports and airplanes to deal with. Followed by picking up the bags at baggage claim in Cincinnati, carrying them to the shuttle, then to my car, a Mini Cooper, which I have to basically fit myself into in the best of times.

It wasn’t the best day of my life.

Home Monday night, then to bed…..Tuesday morning.

There are times that I am happy I live alone. Tuesday AM was one of those times. No one needed to see what I had to do to get out of bed, get in the shower, unpack my luggage, etc. And I didn’t need to hear any talk about Urgent Care, emergency rooms, immaturity, all of that mess. I just did what I do, it not being my first hobbling rodeo. I stood, knelt, more or less did whatever I had to do to get things done. Monday night sleep was sporadic, seeing that I like to roll from side to side as I sleep, and each roll was punctuated with a little shot of pain. It really is true that your core is involved in most any torso movement. Trust me on this.

But, as Tuesday Am turned into Tuesday PM, things loosened up a bit. Not a lot, but enough that I recognized the trend, and knew how things were going to go. Last night (Tuesday) was better. More comfort, less pain. Today I actually fit myself back into my car (again, less uncomfortable, tho if you would have seen me, you’d have wondered why a grown man would do that to himself) drove downtown and donated blood, then went to the gym. A little stationary bike, a little stretching. Tomorrow I’m hoping to get one some machines and do a few simple resistance sets.

Which was the point of this entire blog.

When you pick up an injury, or illness, one of the best things you can do is get back your routine as quickly as possible. OF COURSE you need to make sure that you don’t overdo it, and that you’re not making a bad situation worse. In my case, like I mentioned above, I’ve dealt with this before so I was familiar with what was going on. When I was fairly sure it was a soft tissue injury, related to sciatica and previous issues, I knew that moderate activity, guided by how my body felt, was the best option.

I fly Sunday and we open in Wichita Monday night.

I’m playing an old man. I actually fake a hobble in my step while I’m on stage.

God.

She is funny like that.

Talk Later,

Bob