Heal & Rebuild

Last October I pushed too quickly up a steep incline headed towards the finish line at the Marine Corp. 10k run. My previous experiences with the Marine Corp. Marathon a few years prior taught me that that wasn't a good idea. I blamed adrenaline. My knee blamed me.

Fast forward to this March on the ski slopes. The accusing knee let me know who was really in charge when I fell, aggravating the original injury. After constant pain, trips to the doctor, several weeks of physical therapy, and a cortisone shot, I learned that I would need surgery. Yaaaay! The problem was finally going to be fixed.

It is now one week post-op and I realize that I'm not going to be "shredding" anything with Jillian Michaels for quite a while (Are you familiar with her 30 Day Shred dvd?). Yes, the problem has been resolved. But now I must heal and rebuild. These are the words that came to me when I received a text asking how I was doing.

See, I saw myself at the end of the process without taking into account the process itself. But now that the problem has been resolved, cuts on the inside and incisions on the outside all must heal. Only then can I begin to stretch what has become tight, increase my range of motion, and strengthen muscles that haven't been used in almost a year. If I do it right, I'll be as good as new. If I don't, I'll never be the same again.

So it is with the hurts, tears, and breaks that life brings. They too need time to heal. And only then can rebuilding take place. If done right, restoration occurs. If not, the damage remains and infects other aspects of life.

Healing requires time, stillness, acknowledging the pain, and looking forward to the other side. It is the progression that occurs naturally and it's always best when we yield to it. Rebuilding is a bit different. It requires work and determination. It is often dreaded and painful. Yet it is necessary.

Torn knee? Or broken relationship? Either way, allow it to heal and rebuild. I believe you'll be glad you did.

Until next time...