Leaning in

Do you embrace the present moment? Do you sink in and truly feel your joy, your pain, your feelings, your relationships…do you lean in?

I had ACL surgery last Thursday, I’m 4 days post-op. You can prepare yourself as much as you want for surgery, but just like everything else in life…you never know what something feels like until you go through it. Today is the first day since surgery that I’ve chosen to surrender to leaning into the entire experience. I sunk into my routine (that will last for the next few weeks) and gave myself full permission for my morning nap. Sounds silly, but I always feel like I need to do be doing something. I’m consciously leaning in. It’s almost like you need to give yourself permission to feel all the feels of the roller coaster of emotions – this doesn’t just apply to surgery, this applies to every day life. Lean in!

Pain sucks – period. I should know better, as I’ve had major surgeries before. The afternoon of surgery and the day after are a bit of a teaser, since you have all the other pain killers running through your body. It’s the handful of days after that the pain really kicks in and you have to figure out how to manage it. This is a physical game, as much as it’s a mental game. Since my mobility is drastically decreased, I had to accept the help of my AMAZING Mother and stay with her for a few days to help care for me. THIS was a tough decision. Again, may sound silly to some, but I’m the one who likes to care for others. Accepting help from others is a tough one for me, makes me feel like a burden. Once again, in true fashion of my darn word of the year, I’ve been dished some perspective. The way that it brings me joy to cook or care for others, my Mother feels the same – it’s in my blood…it’s our love language. I’m leaning in to allowing her to care for me and have stopped apologizing for asking for more water or crackers. Although, those of you that know my Mom, I don’t have to ask much, as she’s already thought of everything. I only hope to be the type of caretaker for others, as she has been many times in my life for me.

I’m going to embrace this week as I work on my healing. Lean into all aspects of my life, do some reflecting and give myself permission to rest and truly heal. For others going through similar situations, I’m not taking away the suck factor of being in pain, it’s tough…but SO ARE YOU!

My message to you…lean into ALL of it, there are always lessons, even in the pain. Being in this much pain or having the slightest movement send a shock wave through my body, makes me want to do ALL the things to heal properly, and that includes rest, accepting help, doing my PT and slowing down. It also gives me so much gratitude for how powerful my body is and its amazing capability to heal. Lastly, most things in life are temporary…this pain I’m feeling is temporary and I know there are days of hiking, biking and being out on the water right over the horizon. In the meantime, I’m going to lean into ALL of it and learn from this experience.

Don’t forget to buy yourself flowers, you are worth it and I promise they will make you smile. As always, thank you for being on this journey with me – together we can make a difference. Cheers!