I had hip surgery recently. I say recently as it’s been about 4 weeks, but feels like an eternity. And, no, it was not a hip replacement. That would have actually been easier - and I would be walking now, instead of hobbling around on these crutches. I had repair of a torn labrum, impingement, bone spurs and some other stuff I wound rather not know about.

So, recently it’s been a little like Ground Hog Day over here. And there have been a LOT of things I haven’t been doing. Like . . . .

Walking - without my pesky sidekick crutches.

Driving - definitely not driving with my right foot and leg for braking. Have you noticed Atlanta traffic lately??

Exercising or training or teaching fitness classes. SIGH.

I’ve had to remind myself that there are a LOT of things that I am doing.

Like. . . .

HEALING. I’m forcing myself to remind myself of that constantly. In my mind I am progressing annoyingly slowly. You know that saying that goes something like, IF you only have 60% of yourself to give, and you give all 60% , then you are actually operating at 100%? Well, that’s actually me these days.

I am also doing my physical therapy like it’s my job. I do not miss an at home session or a session with my amazing physical therapist. Shout out to Atlanta Orthopedist Institute. SO happy I found them! Speaking of jobs, while I’m obviously not working my fitness “side hustle” I am doing the whole practicing law from the couch (while my hip is wrapped in ice and compression). Everything is remote right now. Who knew I’d actually miss getting dressed, driving to midtown and going to the office?

I actually thought I’d use my recovery time to do lots of reading, catch up on writing, but to be honest, I’m so darn tired. Also, I am so paranoid at night about turning wrong or moving incorrectly, or crying out when I do move wrong, that there is not great sleep happening - so healing is taking a lot of energy.

I’ve had other injuries, a past hip surgery, shoulder surgery and random issues. I admire all of you who have been injured, followed your plan and kicked butt getting back in the game. Coming back from any setback, whether it is an injury, illness, surgery or one of those life events that knocks our legs out from under us, takes the same things:

patience, resilience, help from friends, good headspace, willingness to let the process work and letting go of a timeline . . . and did I mention patience?

We can all bounce back, move forward and know its not easy or fun. It is what it is. We cannot compare ourselves to others or even to our own selves. (I thought I made much quicker progress four years ago with my left hip. But I have to let that go. I was different. It is a different hip. Things are just different)

Before I had my surgery, I had to answer a lot of questions. The questions were not only about my health, fitness level and amount of pain. There were also a lot of questions about my own ability to bounce back from tough situations, how I could handle difficulty, whether I considered myself resilient, and how I handled life situations.

This gave me pause as I realized it all comes together. Recovery is recovery. Regardless of what it is or what the recovery is from. Whether it is physical, mental, grief, loss or change. We all need the right tools, the right outlook, a good amount of hope and faith and the mindset to bounce back, and hopefully, we all come back stronger in all areas.

Hope to see you back in class, walking the trails, or doing anything soon without my pesky sidekicks!

And I have read a few good books, and so appreciate the reccomendations!