Spring into recovery

Full recovery doesn’t always mean going back to the life that you once had.  An injury can lead you to re-evaluate how you live and bring about great change. Going with the flow is important. Adopting a wait and see approach, while trying your best, is a good approach to take.

Change will happen to everyone at some point in our lives. If we try to stop the normal process of evolving, we can become trapped in our own thinking.  We can become stuck. We know other people who have had the course of their lives altered by injury or illness, but we don’t think it can happen to us.

When faced with an injury or illness:

1. Give yourself time. Time to heal, time to recover but also to do things that make you happy.  
2. Look outside. Get outside. Spring is here. The fresh air is good for us!
3. Pay attention to others inviting you to do things that you haven’t done before.  Your health care professionals may give you some ideas as they know what you may be capable of trying with your injury. Consider their suggestions!

My oldest daughter recently invited me to a “succulent workshop” at a local greenhouse near her country home.  I still felt tired from a flu I had a few weeks earlier, but thought this might be a good outing. I trust her to know what I might like. Spending the day with her, the drive in the country, looking at all the plants with their vibrant colors and new growth, made me happy. I created a wonderful little arrangement. I enjoyed watching her excitement as she carefully selected the plants, the container and saw her vision come to life.  

Afterwards, I felt better.  My energy had been renewed.  It didn’t matter that my plant flipped on to the floor at an intersection during the drive home. I collected the dirt, the plants, the moss and the container. I laughed at myself and when I got home, I created it again.