I thought I had learned how to be more grateful as well as become a bit more humble some years ago when we were stationed overseas. At that time, my first humbling experience included where I learned how wonderful the place we call home (the United States) really is and what I took for granted as given to all. Living in another culture provides you with a different perspective on a great many things and it’s a far different experience than taking a vacation for a short time to a destination. From the wide array of products available for daily life, to the size of our homes and the infrastructure that supports our daily life, I never understood exactly how blessed the United States really is. Through that experience I gained a better understanding on a very broad level just how blessed we truly are in America.
Recently, I was Overcome By Events. I was handed my second humbling experience. This one would be on a much smaller, personal level. While it was not global in nature, it has profoundly changed the way I see things from my little corner of the world.
After spending more than one and a half years limping, in pain and in various stages of attempts to heal the problem, my doctor and I decided it was time to repair the problem permanently. The problem…a torn tendon and collapsed ankle.
Here’s the lesson. I knew it would be difficult to have surgery on my ankle, figuring on some down time to recover and get back to typical lifestyle as I knew it prior to the injury and during the following incapacitation from the injury. After all, the boot, the limp and the pain were impacting greatly what I could and couldn’t do and I was a pretty active individual before I messed up my foot.
What I didn’t take into account, was what it would take to recover and how many things I took for granted in my daily life before I had the surgery. Once again I was thrown into a learning experience much like that of living overseas but now it directly impacted me personally and on a daily basis. For this adventure it wasn’t just about the “things” that were not available on a temporary basis to me overseas, it was now about how to do something as simple as carry a cup of water without spilling it across the room to a seat.
I have a new profound respect for anyone who finds themselves permanently disabled. I thought I had compassion for people with disabilities of any type, but I now have a personal journey that I believe has allowed me to understand what it must be like daily to experience not being able to do the simplest things without someone helping you or without making a mess somehow in the process until you figure out how to make it work in tandem with your new abilities and/or capabilities.
The stories I share continuing forward in this blog are not intended to make fun of anyone who has a disability, permanent or otherwise. The stories are intended to be a chronical of a journey that has been filled with laughter, frustration, exasperation, and joy.
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