I got out the Shop-Vac to clean up the stick shavings our dog left on the living room carpet last night. Somehow she snuck a ten-inch stick into the house without our noticing it, and chewed a big section off the end.

It didn’t take long to vacuum up the remnants. But when I picked up the Shop-Vac to take it back to the garage, I lifted it the wrong way and tweaked the fascia in my lower back where the muscles connect with the sacrum.

I’ve waited a bit to see if they’d loosen up or tighten too much to run. Eventually I went out the door to run and got my answer. Too tight. A risk of actual injury.

So here I sit, All Dressed Up and staying home for the moment. Better to be prudent and recover a bit than to go out and force a run when those connective tissues are in a state of mild tension and spasm.

Be safe. Be smart. Live to see another day.