We all have moments in our lives that we can point to and say “something changed for me that day.” Good, bad or otherwise, we remember them as benchmarks.
Fifteen years ago last week, I had a cast removed after eight weeks of immobility. I’d broken my fibula on a church work camp trip in North Carolina, jumping into a dark water pond that was shallower than I’d estimated.
I landed, felt the bone snap, and thought, “I’ve just broken my leg.” Ten days later, surgery in Rockford left me with a plate and six screws.
I remember the pain and frustration of the injury, of relying on friends and family for rides, trying to limp around work and still do my job and generally feeling a bit sorry for myself as I felt my physical fitness slipping away. Somewhere in there, though, I got mad and vowed when that cast came off I’d take my training up a notch.
Today, I’m 25 pounds lighter than when I broke the leg and I still keep track of my workouts in a log—now 210 pages— that I started the day the cast came off. I’ve run marathons, half marathons, triathlons, logged thousands of miles on my bike and become a trail runner. And, I generally get a little twitchy when I’ve gone a day or two without a workout, suffering from the withdrawal of that endorphin rush.
Was this some massive achievement in the grand scheme of things? Nah. I’ve seen friends and family struggle and overcome far greater obstacles. And I know that many overcome hidden challenges that aren’t always as obvious as an injury.
We all take on the challenges we are given, and it’s up to us to use them as motivation to make our tomorrows better than our todays.
I’m Wester Wuori, and that’s my perspective.
