Much of Success is About the Long Haul

I am in my 5th week of recovery after breaking my femur and hand in a weird fall over a curb, at midnight, in Spain, pulling a suitcase out of a bus. I was completely sidelined in that moment the night of May 10th.

I spend my days exercising without being weight bearing, communicating with family and  friends, and actively resting. Recently, I have had a chance to look at my situation with a wee bit of distance and what I see is encouraging.

I’m learning to embrace what we call “the long haul” or the acceptance that a goal is worth spending a considerable amount of time pursuing. I can become discouraged when I don’t see progress towards healing on a day to day basis but when I look back to the first days after my accident, when I was completely bedridden, I have come a very long way.

I want to really understand this. I want to know it in my bones so that as they knit back together and become whole and I live my life again without broken bones, I keep what I’ve learned to guide me during the rest of my days.

Rushing is a sign of imbalance.

The ability to accomplish at the expense of basic life care is not worth the exchange. Everything worth doing takes time. Our biggest asset is our humanity and kindness towards ourselves and others. It is okay to create something and for that to take a long time.

“Long” is relative and so is everything we attempt.

I am told I will be full strength after 12 weeks. I am 65 years old and I ask myself if 12 weeks is a long time. In the context of my whole life, it is not. My sister in law and brother spend a bit of time every day in their garden….they plant, weed, and water and also relax and soak up the beauty. Their garden has not been a burden but it takes a lot of time and would die if they were not in it for the long haul. My husband, Andy, has lived with Parkinson’s disease for 18 years and he receives care not only from myself and our kids but also from other family, friends and strangers who understand that every life has value that can be overlooked when we rush. Many  of us feel that some of our greatest accomplishments are the children we’ve raised into loving adults. That work is also an example of the long haul.

I am learning from my own bones this simple truth.

 Rushing is a sign of imbalance.

 I have many dreams and goals and I am learning, during these precious days of recovery, to go after them in balance and if it takes a long time that is okay.