Before the beginning of this hip journey and blog, the only social media that was in my vocabulary was Facebook. In fact, I had no idea what the # symbol meant. I knew it as the pound sign on a phone and ATM machine as well as the number sign on my laptop. I saw friends using it on EVERY (and I mean every) single Facebook post and it seemed extremely redundant to me.
But then, I understood the concept of the hashtag. When that light bulb flashed, I noticed that all my hashtags were related to my hip recovery! They connected me to others experiencing the same life challenges or with those having a shared knowledge of this disorder. #femoroacetabularimpingement #hippreservation #fai #labralreconstruction #hiparthroscopy #patientsuccess
But I came to a conclusion. My life is not a hashtag. My hashtags do not define me. My past hip pain does not define me. Nor do my surgical scars. Nor does the anxiety of this Wednesday’s upcoming spine surgery. Nor do my tears or my laughter. Nor does my stubbornness or my intensity.
But just if, and that is a big IF I was asked to give one hashtag that would represent me in totality, I would have to think long and hard. Of course, the caveat would be that I reserve the right to change it at any time and I reserve the right to explain it when asked.
So for the current moment, my hashtag is #liquidattitude. You can think of attitude as a negative trait, but I don’t. I see attitude as something that encompasses all of my life experiences, my outlook, my worries, my strengths and my flaws. It encompasses why I react the way I do to certain experiences and challenges. The liquid part of my hashtag just means that it can flow from one state to another.
Sometimes the liquid attitude may be flowing uphill when I’m having a really difficult time with something. Other times, my liquid attitude may flow downhill with speed when I am feeling confident and hopeful.
My attitude last week was fearful, worried, frustrated. Today, I am empowered, hopeful, determined and stubborn. Don’t get in my way. I will stare you down and tell you, “I got this!” Tomorrow, my attitude may change, and it may flow back into fright and weakness which is okay. I just have to remind myself that fluidity is good. It means I’m not stagnant or stuck.
So if I asked you what your hashtag is, what would be your response? Would it #pain, #patient, #frustrated or #iamunique #strength or #hope?
Think about it. If your first response is too easy, think a bit deeper.
“Change your attitude and you change your life. You cannot control what happens to you in your life, but you can always control how you respond to it. The way you choose to respond is a reflection of your attitude. By changing your attitude, you also change your perspective and change your life.” ― Roy Bennett
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