I vividly remember my first consultation with a massage therapist 20 years ago when I sought help for a low back injury. This was the day I started to learn how to recognize and acknowledge fatigue. Being told, “your not 21 anymore,” was a huge blow to my ego and a concept that took me a while to embrace. After numerous appointments I walked away trained in how to read my body. I learned to stop and give it a rest once I recognized the signs of fatigue. This was a big life lesson for me, a type A person with a very strong work ethic.

Life lessons are important stepping stones for personal growth. In the last 10 days I experienced another significant one. Let’s call this one, gaining patience and the art of giving your body the energy it needs to recover from traumatic events. Ten days ago I went in for what all thought was going to be a routine medical procedure. Because I was only given a local anesthetic I was told I could drive myself to and from the appointment. Note to self: ask better questions before jumping into the pool. Let’s suffice to say that post surgery had some very traumatic and messy complications.

About two days after my procedure the trauma I experienced started to sink in. The graphic nature of the complication and circumstances I experienced really, really freaked me out. More than I had realized at the time which was probably a good thing. So I made a conscious choice to take it easy and direct all my energy into healing. To exercise patience and give my body time to completely recover. Hence my hiatus from my daily walks.

After watching a lifetime worth of Hallmark Christmas Movies (Tis the season) I am anxious to get back to my routine. My trusty side kick, Baxter, is waiting patiently for body language that gives the green light to another walk. I’m 90% there and aiming for Monday.

The pics featured in this post are from my walk day 10 days ago; on the morning before my little surgery. #iluvtowalk #baxteronthego #trinidadcalifornia #humboldt