Does something ever happen to you and you find yourself wishing it didn’t? Those mishaps and hiccups that you want to control and avoid? That moment it happens and you just pause and think of every possible way to get out of the situation, but there is simply no accessible or realistic answer. So you tend to think of yourself being in this inescapable rut. What do you do? Who do you turn to? What do you do to adapt?
During my last spring semester, I unexpectedly fractured my foot. A freak accident. No, I wasn’t drunk and it didn’t happen in any dramatic way. Although, I’m totally open to hearing ideas of how I can fabricate it to be more interesting. I was at the gym and stepped off the elliptical and felt a snap in my left foot. S***. My stomach was in knots. My head sifting through ways I could somehow rewind the moment. What if I didn’t go to the gym that day? What if I had stepped down on my right foot? What if I stayed on the machine one minute less? After several more “what if’s” I came to the conclusion that I was going to have to cope with this. The pain, the setback, the next steps to take all haunted me.
As I hobbled back to my dorm room I was experiencing complete and utter denial. I had such a piercing pain but my mind wouldn’t choose to believe it. I wasn’t going to let a little pain ruin my upcoming weekend in Myrtle Beach, the last weekend on campus, or my final exams. I would dangerously exceed the “do not take more than 6 tablets in 24 hours” rule on the pain killer bottle. I was taking enough to fight through the pain, instead of actually accepting I had fractured it. I avoided telling my parents and people close to me for a while because I didn’t want to bring anyone else down.
It got to the point where I could almost barely put my shoe on and would be in pain walking to a class that was in my building. I started to associate walking as a burden that I would avoid. I had trouble getting food, or even just leaving my dorm. This is when I chose to accept the fracture, with only a week left of final exams. I didn’t have time to go to the doctor with the amount of studying and project work. My only option was to keep fighting through it and keep a happy face on to make sure I didn’t add stress to anyone else’s last week.
I truly realized the friends I valued most during this time. The little acts of kindness that meant so much to me. My roommate would bring me food or go get the ice pack from the freezer for me when I couldn’t. One of my best guy friends brought me my favorite wrap from Mykonos Grill and ate it with me in my dorm. I was so used to constantly being around people and didn’t realize how much I would miss the small talk conversations most people encounter on a daily basis. Fracturing my foot almost made me reclusive. Do you ever feel like there is something holding you back, so you just decide to give up?
When I went home for the summer I was in a medical boot for about two months. To be honest, thinking about being in a medical boot all summer seemed like a huge letdown at first. I knew that I couldn’t just sit in bed all summer so I found a way to turn this negative thing into something positive. I spent more time with my little sisters, taught myself how to paint and cook, and indulged in books. So I guess you could say I became a grandma. Honestly though, I don’t regret fracturing my foot. I have learned so many life lessons.
Do you ever want to pause your life for a day or two and everything around you would standstill too? Endless social events, homework, classes, exercising, and planning for the future creates a fast paced life. You get in the routine of how to live your life and something will happen that completely throws it all off. If I could takeaway one thing from this crazy experience I would say that my injury taught me the importance of slowing down my life.
I had time to recognize the type of a person I wanted to become, the people I wanted to surround myself with, and how important it is to make time for myself and the people that matter. Life should be a long walk on the beach, not a sprint on the track. You want to plan eventful days, but cannot let them distract you from the people and things you love and care about. In the end they mean more than your activities and stacked resume. Just don’t let yourself forget that.
