Unexpected Gifts
About a month ago, I was taken out by my own clumsiness, smashing my foot into a doorway. Who knew two broken toes would be such a derailment?
My favorite neighbors came to the rescue, knee scooter in tow. (And if you don’t know what a “knee scooter” is, consider yourself lucky – I hope you never find out). My Mom flew up to help too, because the verdict was clear: no driving, no walking (no kidding).
To say I didn’t handle it well would be an understatement.
Chocolate covered pretzels? Check.
Splurging on some fancy Dry Farm wine? Check.
Pity party plus a bad case of the “F___ it”s? Check and check.
Despite knowing better, this unfortunate situation got the best of me. (And anyone who’s experienced an injury like this knows exactly what I’m talking about).
No one is immune from sometimes being knocked off course. But when this happens, we have to remind ourselves that what matters most is what happens next – how do we pick ourselves back up?
For me, it took longer than expected to get my mindset in-check, but once I did, it was a gamechanger.
Being trapped on the couch turned into an opportunity to slow down and rest (something that’s pretty much unheard of for me).
Having to tolerate a messy house turned into a chance to practice a skill I know I need to strengthen: not allowing clutter or dirty dishes to drive me completely insane.
And being cut off at the knees when it comes to my constant multi-tasking? This turned out to be the best gift of all… a reminder of how important it is to be fully present, especially during quiet moments spent curled up on the couch with my son.
But even with these important gifts, I’ve still struggled at times. I’m human.
Was I consistently my best self, staying true to what I would have laid out for a client, remaining devoted to the tidbits I outlined in my post on Highs & Lows? Not always. (And for the record, I wouldn’t expect anyone to be).
While I may have fumbled at the start, I eventually showed up to get the important part right. Regardless of the limitations I still have with physical activities, that doesn’t mean I can’t stay on-track with other habits that are equally important (acknowledging that chocolate covered pretzels and wine aren’t going to help!).
If you are in the same boat – looking to pick yourself up from whatever may have knocked you off course – know that you can do it.
Regardless of the challenges that exist in your life (work stress, the mayhem of raising small kids, or simply feeling like it’s impossible to make time for yourself), my advice remains the same for all of us:
Start small, and meet yourself where you are TODAY.
The trap of perfectionist goals and unsustainable plans will lead nowhere other than right back to where you started.
So, while maybe I’d like to get to the gym for some cardio, I accept that it’s simply not in the cards right now. I also have to remind myself that there’s nothing wrong with scaling down, versus skipping movement all together – braving a 10-minute walk (AKA hobble) is a much more productive goal than attempting something I know is out of reach.
We tend to set our sights on what’s ideal: perfect meal planning, perfect work-out schedule, perfect compliance to every little thing we plan for ourselves… but what do we do when we find – for whatever reason – that we can’t keep up with perfect?
I advocate that we keep looking up, and acknowledge that even small steps are better than none.