erector spinae

Repost~originally published August 2019

Yesterday, Dan claimed to have found the origin of both his hip issue and my neck issue. It is in a lack of flexibility in a region of back muscles known as the erector spinae--which is simply the three systems of muscles that control the motion of your back, and therefore much of your entire body.  Most of them get stretched for me during morning yoga, but he? Notsomuch.

At any rate, he was typing the letters to this idea into the YouTube channel on the television. So eager, was he, to share this knowledge with me.

And...I want to say YouTube was trying to be helpful. But these words..."erector spinae"...there are just so many, many combinations of options.

The listing of YouTube autofill selections as he typed from the e to the h in "erector spinae stretch" were varied and they popped on and off the screen as he typed:

Erector set
Erector set commercial
Erectin a river
Erection during the Olympic gold medal ceremony
Erectile dysfunction
(...and finally, blessedly)

"Erector spinae"

Last week, as I was leaving the house I said to Maggie, "Well, I'm off like a prom dress, as your grandmother would say."

She reacted physically, immediately, and said "EWW! Mom! Just...eww."

I said, "I know. Imagine being raised by her."

Yesterday, it so happened that Maggie crested the top of the stairs as Dan was searching on YouTube.

She looked at the TV. Looked at me. Looked at Dan. And said, "You know, I kind of think you two are getting a little too comfortable around me."