I’m not sure where I’m going to end up with this post, but I’m going to start typing and hopefully by the end there will be a message for you all. If not, my bad. And, this post may not appeal to all of you, if this is the case, move on…please come back for wellness tips next week.
We had a challenge thrown our way this week. The kind that kicks you in the stomach, makes you fall backwards and stares you in the face waiting to see if you’ll get up. As simple as I can make it, our 17 year old son had an unfortunate accident and had to have surgery to repair a broken femur.
Because both my son and I suffer from a rare genetic bone disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, our motto tends to be, “bones heal”…we realize that so many others are faced with their own challenges and we never seek pity. But it is, for lack of a better phrase, a huge pain in the ass. It interrupts plans and goals and it makes you feel way too vulnerable.
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| Ian, May 2015 |
Over the course of 4 nights in the hospital, my husband and I watched our son endure uncontrolled muscle spasms that lasted until he was surgically fixed. We watched him get violently ill after the surgery – a side effect of anesthesia. We felt for him each time a nurse walked in and asked him annoying (but necessary) questions about bodily functions. We watched the terror on his face as they started talking about a catheter 12 hours post op and still no pee. We noticed his white lips and later found out he lost so much blood during surgery that he needed a transfusion. We watched him move like the frailest old man as he attempted getting out of bed. The worst thing about all of this, there was nothing we could do.
At first it was a disbelief. I remember for a moment in the ER when I said to myself, “wake up”…and I waited. (you see, I have these dreams from time to time). I felt sad, sorrow, mad and defeated. I felt guilty, lonely and helpless.
And then I got my shit together. I allowed myself to feel all of those negative emotions (and rightly so) but knew that I needed to pull myself together for me, my son and the rest of my world that was relying on me, (my husband, my daughter, my extended family, my job, my fitness business and my clients, etc…).
I’ve read a few different definitions of the word challenge, and the one that stuck out most, is “dare”. I felt dared this week. I felt like I was being tested and how I reacted and what I felt determined my strength. Our situations are just that, situations. They are not what dictate how we feel or how we act. They may dare us, but it is up to us to dare them back, take on the duel and fight with all we have. We must know that our attitude and frame of mind determines our happiness.
I am thankful I can control my attitude and frame of mind, which in turn controls my thoughts and how I feel. With a bit of a healing road ahead, it will be filled with hope and optimism. After all, defeat is not an option.
I’m curious, when life throws you a challenge, or dare, what do you do?
To a better week ahead,
Be healthy, be well,
Meredith
www.primalwellnesscoach.com
