Here’s a downside to working with little kids in kid-designed spaces: I walk into furniture and trip over furniture all the time. Just today I bruised my thigh walking into a cafeteria table at kid height.

My knee has been bugging me since about May, when I sat in a little kid chair for a program and twisted it trying to stand up. Then about a month ago at my previous job I tripped over a step stool left in a doorway while carrying an armload of picture books. Not kid furniture, but my vision was hindered by kid literature. Anyway, I banged the top of my foot, and it’s gotten increasingly unhappy. Last week while I was running around the city for my haircut I realized for the first time I was actually having trouble walking. So my mother and husband told me to try a chiropractor. I went for my very first “adjustment” today, and boy howdy.

I guess I should add that the particular chiropractor I chose also has physical therapy and acupuncture in the same office. I chose her the way I choose so many things: she was covered by my insurance (my practical side) and her office was in a cute neighborhood (my Jackie side). Her office is actually a house, complete with a little black toy poodle standing watch over the front door. So we discussed my pain, my profession, and the fact that I spend a good portion of my life bent over to kid height or on my knees at kid eye level. She decided my needed acupuncture (a first for me), my foot needed physical therapy (painful but weirdly satisfying) and my neck and back needed an adjustment.

The acupuncture put me to sleep. Seriously. She told me how relaxing it was, and while I was thinking about how unrelaxing getting poked with needles is I passed right out. My foot got wrapped in electrodes and warm towels, and my neck got twisted and popped back into place. She started popping my back in line but didn’t want to do too much on the first visit. I left feeling like I’d had a spa day, my foot and knee have felt better all night, and I’m going back on Thursday for more back fixin’. I could get used to this.