About 11 years ago I had my first shoulder dislocation - Falling while playing flag football and taking an awkward roll.
I’ve probably relived that moment a thousand times in my head wishing and wanting for things to have turned out differently.
Because that first injury took something precious - the confidence I had in my body.
And each of the preceding dislocations and subluxations deepened that insecurity.
I can’t remember if it’s always been this way, but my physical experience has centered around holding a lot of fear in my body.
Never quite sure if things would hold up.
Never quite certain about where I was in space.
Never quite able to track motion when objects started moving fast.
And it didn’t help that my loving parents reinforced that fear with reminders about all the things that could go wrong. Their voices take up residence in the back of my mind.
Most of my life has been an effort to try to reclaim that youthful ignorance where you play without concern.
It’s a tough line to walk however. You can’t un-learn what you’ve experienced.
But I don’t think that’s the point...
Uninformed optimism is naivety. It’s the natural state of children.
Informed pessimism is nihilism. It’s the natural state of adults.
There is a third option for those who see the warts of the world and limitations of the human yet still choose to move forward - informed optimism.
I think this is what we are meant to strive for.
Injury and pain just serve as the invitation to this journey.
The first reaction is to want to go back to that naive experience of youthful ignorance and make it all go away.
But without pain, you’ll never appreciate it.
The second reaction is to want to give up. It’s safer than risking another injury.
The fear snowballs and we become frozen in time - unable to move on with life.
There is only one way through this.
Choose gratitude, pick yourself up, and begin again.
There will be hiccups, pains, road bumps, and injuries along the way.
But in the attempt, something will be learned. Something only for you to uncover.
I think that’s what the quote, “Every man dies but not every man lives” is about.
Most people never make it past the pessimism stage. They let fear rule their lives.
For those that do push forward, the full breadth of life awaits.
P.S. Want help rebuilding your body after injury? You’ll like this.
The perfect email to receive after a lower back injury this weekend 👏🏻