The Big Pop
On the morning of Day 22, something frightening but wonderful happened. I was doing my usual morning stretch—reaching my hands to the ceiling while standing on my floor mat. Suddenly, I heard a sound like a gunshot. *CRACK*. It came from my mid-back. I froze, terrified I had broken something. But then, a rush of warmth flooded my spine. It was a release of pressure that I didn’t even know was there.
It was a massive spinal decompression. Years of gravity and poor posture had compressed my vertebrae, and the floor sleeping had slowly teased them apart until—*pop*—they realigned. The relief was euphoric. I felt lightheaded. I touched my toes easily, something I hadn’t done since high school. It was as if a rusty hinge had finally been oiled. I walked into the kitchen with a grin so wide my wife asked if I was high.