“If all you can do is crawl, start crawling.” ~Rumi
I have always been one to push myself beyond my limits. I would take on more than I could handle emotionally, and push myself through pain and negative physical cues to accomplish every task. Even when I was dealing with the worst of my pain from my chronic conditions, I always refused to skip class, take a sick day from work, or give my body the proper sleep and rest it needed because I was just “too busy.” I didn’t want to give in to my struggles. I had to prove to myself that I was strong.
Fast-forward to now. About a month after major surgery, I am finally learning what it means to listen to my body, and allowing it to receive the physical and emotional rest it has been begging for for so long. I had initially set goals for myself for my post-op recovery. Goals to immediately build my body and strength back, resume my regular activities, and be back to work within a few weeks. But, sometimes, life happens and things don’t go as planned. Post-op complications and set-backs have prevented me from accomplishing any of those goals, and now, for the first time ever, I am accepting that. I am beyond grateful that, overall, things are improving and going well, and reminding myself that everything happens for a reason. I may not be able to do the activities that I wish I could right now (and have been told that I should not even attempt to for months), but there are so many simple things that I can do that I never took the time to appreciate.
We are all so fortunate to be here on this earth, regardless of what we are able or unable to do at a given time. The greatest thing we could do is be mindful of and grateful for our abilities, no matter how small, and spread positivity in any way that we can. So, “If all you can do is crawl, start crawling.”
