My years are measured in weeks of school – how many weeks until the start of the school year and how many weeks until summer. I am able to look back at school years with many different memories. This year it was the tragic loss of student’s homes, evacuations from fires and my hip issues. Last year, it was the tragic loss of a student’s mother from ovarian cancer. The year before last was the year a student had me beaming with pride at her growth. Fortunately, not all years are measured by sadness, grief and disappointment -there are many years that are measured with student achievement’s and light bulb moments.
This year’s tragedies (and my bad hip luck) got me thinking about the regrowth of life after a fire. The land can look hopeless, barren and devoid of life, but invisible to the eye are seeds capable of instilling hope. Many times, the beginning of your travels through health challenges are similar to a forest fire – you don’t know how fast it will burn, how far it will travel and what the long-term implications can be. You hope that there are fire lines that will prevent the damage from progressing. You hope that there will be water to put a damper on your flames of anxiety and discouragement. You hope that the fire can be put out by your hip healers – your doctor, your PT, your strength and motivation.
Once that fire is put out, remember that there will be opportunity for the regrowth of your life. You will need to cultivate the nutrient of optimism, the water of hope and the ability to germinate your mind’s eye with positivity. Be confident in your strength, your surgeon’s skills and, soon, you will see that your saplings (your new hips) will provide you stability, confidence and the ability to move forward always looking for the next moment to be hopeful and to be an inspiration to someone else as they face their own challenges.
I know you've got this!
What medicines do not heal, the lance will; what the lance does not heal, fire will.
- Hippocrates
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