Wounded in the Line of Battle

I bought a shovel this weekend so I could move excess dirt from one side of my yard to the other side, where rain had formed large gullies in the new lawn. I was pretty excited to use my shovel, and I perhaps got a little carried away. On the third shovel-load of dirt, I felt a slight twinge in the right side of my back. I gingerly tested it and decided I could work through it.

90 minutes later I come inside and sit on the couch to watch football. When the time comes for me to get up, I could barely move my back; it had become crazy swollen and sore. It still hurts.

Moral of the story: be kind to your back.