Seek Blessings

You would think that a broken ankle (3 bones, specifically, because I know of no other way than doing it big) would have given me a ton of time to write blogs. Time to be introspective, maybe time to solve all of my issues and yours and a solution to world peace… well, it didn’t happen. What actually did happen is that I sunk into a funk after surgery with being told that I’d be useless for over 2 months. Okay, those aren’t the words that the surgeon used; he actually said something like “you’ll be non weight-bearing for 10 weeks” but I heard “useless, dependent and pitiful”.
It pains me to say that I didn’t automatically shift into trusting God and being thankful for my injury. Instead, I second guessed WHY this had to happen at all and now that it had, WHEN will it be over? I was angry. Nothing seemed particularly fair about my going to a football game and expecting a fun day and ending the day on morphine and an assigned room in some critical trauma unit.

Want to hear a funny and rather presumptuous attitude I had? I thought, on some level of consciousness at least, that I had gone through some pretty heavy setbacks in life and should have met my quota before this happened…as if, somehow, I was protected from any more serious problems having already checked that box as “complete”.

Well, Amy, life happens. It’s not always fair. Sometimes we get far more of the good stuff than we deserve and sometimes bad stuff happens. Deal with it.  During my time of “uselessness”, I rode a wave of despair and hopefulness to frustration and hopelessness, from sensibility to senseless, and from anger to resolve. Living with me wasn’t easy, I’m sure. At one point, my husband told me I was behaving like a spoiled brat. I wanted to take my wheelchair and launch it at his head…but couldn’t because that’s a tough thing to do while standing on one foot.  😛

Anyway, I want you to repeat after me.

When bad things happen, I will cope. I will trust that there’s a reason and I won’t demand or expect an answer to what the reason is.

Let’s do that again so it really sinks in. For me, personally, I had to repeat it about 15,000 times but maybe twice will work for you.

When bad things happen, I will cope. I will trust that there’s a reason and I won’t demand or expect an answer to what the reason is.

YES! That gentle shift of attitude will save you tears and anger, my friend. I speak from experience. Today, a friend posted this little picture and I feel compelled to share it.

There were so many blessings during this process. A friend traveling from St. Pete to bring me a special CD and some soup, a friend taking me to get my nails done (wheelchair and all!), a friend bringing me lunch and a shower stool, a friend texting me nearly daily to uplift, so many Tres Dias sisters catering to my every need for a weekend spent away from home, neighbors who brought little gifts and offers to run errands for me, a husband and son who worked tirelessly all day away from home and came home to work even harder….the list goes on and on. I didn’t always readily acknowledge those blessings at the time….but I do now.

I also didn’t acknowledge that I’ve always been prone to impatience. Nothing will teach you patience like a nice injury or condition that leaves you immobile. So is it easier to recognize these things now that I’m way over the hump of healing and on my way to normalcy? Yes…it is. Will I get it right the next time something “bad” happens~ whether it’s a simple disappointment in life or a true crisis? I sure hope so. I would like to think this journey has been one of discovery.    So whatever you may be going through….or may go through in the future….I urge you to look for the blessings. They are there.

Be blessed.

Amy