My broken ankle is an inconvenience, there is no doubt about that. Just ask my husband, who is now having to drive all four members of the family to every school, sporting and work commitment we have between us- mornings and afternoons and evenings every day of the week. But this post is about being grateful. And there is no better time to reflect on our blessings than when experiencing an acute non-life threatening injury.
Appreciation for my good health and fitness.
In the first few days after breaking my ankle, every time I used the crutches, I wondered how an elderly woman with weak arms and brittle bones would cope. In many cases, I suppose they just couldn’t use crutches and would need to be in a wheelchair. Even people I know with moderate fitness abilities experienced wrist and shoulder pain from crutches, which took me by surprise; the only pain I ever experienced was in my broken ankle. I put this down to my existing fitness level, and I feel really grateful for it.
Appreciation of the body’s ability to heal
Our bodies really are an absolute marvel. From the moment I snapped my fibula, my body started the healing process. How cool is that! Incredibly, every single day, the pain is markedly less. At the end of the day, when I have had all the blood pooling in my feet, I take off my cam boot and find that my ankle is less swollen than at the same time the night before. As my high school Science teacher used to say, “Your body wins every single battle…except the last.”
Appreciation of what I can still do.
OK, so a broken ankle limits walking, running, jumping, acrobatics…but there is still a lot that I can do! And I am now motivated to exercise to
- maintain my strength so that recovery to my pre-fracture status is faster
- produce Human Growth Hormone (HGH) during the exercise to help my bone heal faster. (I have a sneaky dream that I will return to the orthopaedic surgeon and he will be flabbergasted by my speedy healing. And also let me drive sooner.)
So here is a short video of exercises I can still do. The cam boot is saving me from the trouble of strapping on an ankle weight.
Appreciation that there is more to a person than the physical.
Fitness is an important part of our entire family’s life. Physical movement takes a lot of my physical and mental energy and it is an area that defines my sense of self…but what happens when that ability is taken away?
Here are my thoughts:
- It may require single-minded obsessiveness to really excel, but I believe resilience comes from being more of a generalist. If your interests are varied, there is more to turn to when one is removed.
- Do you remember ever writing a list in school about your roles- sister, volleyball player, daughter, choir member, knitter, Sunday School teacher, whatever? It is important to remind yourself of these kinds of roles all the time, before injury or tragedy, to better cope with loss if and when it occurs. In an interview with mixed martial artist Rhonda Rousey following her shock UFC defeat to Holly Holm in 2015, she said that after she lost, she wanted to commit suicide. If we relate too strongly to only one role (i.e. UFC undefeated champion fighter), we lack resilience.
- While injury is a time where our focus usually turns inwards, it is actually a great time to turn our focus outwards. Consider what others are dealing with, maybe even how you can help. What better way to find a new role and feel good about ourselves than by helping someone else?
Deep thoughts, I know.
So, go on. Break an ankle, and you, too, can be filled with feelings of gratitude and a sense of perspective.
But a word of advice. If you are one of the adults in the household who should be helping out with the driving…break your left one.
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