I had two hip surgeries during peak Covid. (I don’t recommend it).
I followed all of the surgeon’s instructions:
I did physical therapy.
I stretched daily (and still do).
I stopped running and playing Pickleball (giving up running wasn’t as hard as I expected, but I’m still bitter about Pickleball because I was pretty dang good at it!).
At my two-year checkup, the surgeon said my recovery has been as close to perfect as he has seen.
Most days I barely notice my hips.
This morning, though, I had to get out of bed at 3am because my left hip hurt too much to sleep.
It struck me that it took almost no time to damage my hips, but the recovery is taking years.
Damage is fast. Healing is slow.
Life is like that.
It only takes five seconds to say something cruel to someone else that may haunt them for the rest of their life.
A momentary ethical lapse can cause decades of guilt.
Marriages, friendships and family relationships can be damaged almost beyond repair in minutes.
There is an obvious lesson here:
Try REALLY hard not to do damage. This is true of damaging others and damaging ourselves.
I think there is a more important—but less obvious—lesson:
Start the process of healing as soon as possible and don’t stop.
We want quick fixes to life’s greatest pains, but that’s just not how it works.
Starting to forgive yourself today is better than next year.
Going to rehab (or finding a counselor) this week is better than in a decade.
An apology 30-years late is better than no apology at all.
Healing takes time.
Healing is hard.
Healing takes courage.
It’s not fair, but that’s just how life is…
…so get started and don’t stop.
peace,
Ryan
p.s. If you are in the United States and are going to see a lot of family on Thursday, that would be a good place to start!!!
