A Stranger’s Advice
The turning point came from the unlikeliest source imaginable. I was at a neighborhood barbecue, complaining about my back to anyone who would listen, probably boring them to tears. That’s when an old friend of my uncle spoke up. His name was Miller, a retired anthropologist who had spent years living in rural communities in Japan and South America. He looked at me, took a long sip of his iced tea, and said bluntly, “You Americans are too soft. That’s your problem.”
I was a bit offended, but I was also desperate, so I asked him what he meant. “You spend all day in a soft chair, drive in a soft car seat, and sleep on a soft sponge,” he explained. “Your spine has absolutely no support. It’s forgotten how to hold itself up.” He leaned in closer. “In the villages I lived in, they slept on tatami mats. Sometimes just wood. And they didn’t have back pain. Even the elders walked straight.” It sounded crazy, but it was the first new idea I’d heard in years.