Not what I expected
Everyone said the recovery from shoulder surgery would hurt.
Everyone.
Not just some. Not a few. Not even most. Nope, everyone.
So, why am I so surprised that after five weeks, my shoulder still hurts and therapy makes me what to throw up?
I thought it'd be different. I thought it would be different — for me.
After all, I've run half marathons; surely it will be different. I've taken care of myself for 15 years, alone and independent; surely it will be different. I raised two kids through college nearly by myself; surely it will be different. Bring it on because I'm ready.
This is not what I expected.
And, because it isn't, I've had to change what I think, change how I do things, change how I look at the world and how I interact with it.
The unexpected will do that to you.
With my right arm unusable, I've learned to trust my left to carry the load. I didn't think it was up for it when I first began. It was weak, awkward. I hadn't really paid much attention to it.
Yet, when I learned to rely on it, something happened. It came through for me. Sure, it wasn't good at first, but I'd never asked it to wash dishes alone before. After learning what didn't work, we soon figured out what did. And then we did it again, then again, with lots of tasks and challenges.
And, so it is with the people in our lives.
We learn to expect what we expect without ever imagining that it might be different — that life might be different.
Start looking at life differently.
You might just find it's not what you expected; it's better.
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Maybe that peace we're looking for is what we feel each night before we drift to sleep when we realize we lived the day the best we could. It may not have been great, may not have even been good, but it was our best effort.
I believe we spend a good part of our life running from what life asks of us. We're afraid saying yes means saying "no" to so many other things we've grown accustomed to.
Grab one of these books from my personal library
Trust your internal compass. One of my favorite guides is Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live by Martha Beck (Hardcover) (Kindle).
I have so many passages underlined in Finding Your Way Home: A Soul Survival Kit (Kindle) by Melody Beattie! It’s a keeper forever. Also try these from the same author: Playing it By Heart (Kindle) and Stop Being Mean to Yourself (Hardcover) (Kindle).
Friendly Reminders: Lessons from a Self-Care Savage by Scott Tatum (There is also a Kindle version, but I LOVE the hardcover book and leave it on my table to pick up when I need a pick-me-up.) On my wish list is the Spiral-bound version.
Pick up these books wherever you shop or support my efforts by using the Amazon links provided.