That Time I Binge Watched “The Fast & Furious”
The other day, I was chatting with a friend who’d recently had surgery, commiserating about the process of healing. Don’t get me wrong, our bodies are incredible, and the ability to heal is a magnificent gift. But sometimes, when you’re in the midst of it, it’s easy to overlook that healing is not a linear process. In fact, it’s one of those things that seems to be going well one minute, then sucker punches you with perceived limitations as your body attempts to regulate itself the next. But the process is full of lessons if we’re willing to receive them.
Finally learned what ‘family’ is when I binge watched this franchise while recovering from foot surgery ;-)
I remember when I had a foot surgery a few years ago. I’d torn a plantar plate and by the time I’d figured that out and gotten help, I had a messed-up metatarsal and some shredded tendons too. I ended up having three different surgeries for one anesthesia. And by the way, props to all the anesthesiologists out there, your job is vital, and much appreciated. The surgery was the easy part (for me anyway). Recovery? Not so much. I was completely non-weight bearing for six weeks, and then had intense physical therapy for quite some time as I learned to walk again. I have a new respect for toddlers, that’s for sure.
Anyway, in that time when I wasn’t able to ambulate without crutches, I had to rely on other people for help with all kinds of things, from teaching my classes to making sure the dog was walked, and my son was where he needed to be on time. I’m forever grateful for all the people who came together to help keep things going and make sure important items were attended to. It was an interesting experience aligning schedules to make sure everything was covered. And in that time, as I ordered groceries online for someone else to pick up, consulted with the colleagues who’d taken over my classes, and texted confirmations regarding transportation for my son, I had a stark realization that changed my life.
Gratitude.
Deep gratitude for all the people who helped me in that time (especially my husband, who was a total rock star), and also deep gratitude for myself.
After months of rehab, I was finally able to hike again. This shot is from my first big post-surgery hike and I was thrilled that Nature gave me such a view.
See, as I wrangled and arranged, scheduled and confirmed, I realized that all the times I’d berated myself for “not getting anything done today” were complete bollocks. It took 9 people to handle the things I normally did prior to my surgery. NINE. And even with all that help, the kitchen counters were still dirty and we ate a ton of takeaway. When that realization sank in, I made a vow, then and there.
I will never again say, “I didn’t get anything done today.”
Sure, there are days when we don’t get to whatever it is we’d like to get to – those things on the “to-do” list that we don’t quite check off (or even sometimes touch at all) in a day when we’d hoped to. BUT, there are also loads of things that DID get done. In many cases, we are doing more than we think we are.
This is not to say blow off those things we want to accomplish or need to focus on. Those may still need some evaluation, and we may need to assess why it is we aren’t getting done whatever we said we want to do, and adjust accordingly. But that’s a topic for another day.
Today, as we enter the next busy season, please be kind to yourself. Sometimes we’ve got a good groove on our own, and sometimes we need help. No matter where in the spectrum we are, whether we’re kicking ass on our goals, or deep in general life management, it’s important to take a moment and sit in gratitude for all of the things that we’re already doing. All that we’ve already done. Chances are, it’s a lot.