On the eve of the arrival of my archnemesis, I posted the secret to happiness and devoted time in the evening to reflect on how well things have been going for me.

Life has been beautiful with Becky in it. Gone are the days of "drinking the blues away." I've never felt such happiness; spending time with her, our dogs and great reads into the night have filled my weekends. We were able to take advantage of the unusually warm February night by filling the pit with flames and staring off into the stars. Orien showed prominently through the night sky, as well as Jupiter, who was just above Venus. The long weekend had been just what I needed. As I lie restless in bed reflecting on my happiness, I feel the tremors of muscle spasms oncoming, nothing major, just enough to remind me that I am vulnerable to life.

I wake feeling stiffer than normal, but can still manage, my youth has been escaping me. I fulfill my morning routines of stretches, but the stiffness has failed to subside. In less than an hour, the archnemesis officially arrives. Pain jolting down my back and into my left leg. "Come back if this happens more often" floats across my mind like the DOW ticker. It's been a year since those words were spoken to me, absolute dismissal of the pain I was in at the time. Probably Sciatica I am told, but must there be an underlying cause? This is the 5th occurrence I've had with this pain, at a mere age of 28. I am beginning to wonder if there is a life where this pain isn't a recurring visitor. The groundhog saw his shadow, so on the pain must come. I am the hunchback of Notre Dame, Gollum, and the man that fell and couldn't get up, perfect consumer for life alert, at 28.

I, however, have come to realize that you can't truly appreciate your successes unless there are trials and tribulations along the way. Without a great hurdle, can you really appreciate your growth? It'd be like winning the lottery, yes you may have generation wealth now, but you will likely end up like the others; broke with no hope along the way, since you haven't learned your lessons on the way to the top.

Two steps forward, one step back. Do not take health for granted. We will persevere.