24th March 2025. 3 min read
Photo by Bernard Hermant on Unsplash
It’s been two months since sustaining my ligament injury and meniscus tear of my right knee.
A few days ago, I decided to wean myself from the walking stick. At some point, I have to rebuild my self-confidence to resume my daily functions again sans the support.
I replaced the leg brace with my leg sleeve and tried the stairs without the walking stick for the first time. Though it is not perfectly stable, I believe in waking up my muscles and ligaments again to do their job.
Our body has immense propensity to recover because life is an unknown.
The longer one stays supported especially if there is no more major pain, one will become dependent on the crutch. Crutch mentality is real thing and I had it for a long time with my scripts.
Albert Einstein famously said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle”.
I like his philosophical approach because I see my injury as a miracle as it had opened up a whole new perspective for me.
I slowed down during this period.
Not being on the move all the time enlightens me in the following ways;
Self improvement wise – I started to re- organise my time – pack my stuff, read more uplifting articles, improve my language learning and getting back to Toastmasters actively.
Business wise – I started scouting for prospective associates who could run my practice and this could help some younger dentist get into business easily with my base already built over the years. Afterall one day, it will be a real goodbye and I want the patients to be in good hands. That would also free more time for my indulgence in living.
3 Personal growth –Well, I have been a bit obsessive. The last three months before my injury I had too much on my travel plate so the injury put a halt to that.
Being limited in my mobility has made me sip my coffee slower, made me more resilient and more observant. I noticed that the creeper plants and the climbers in my garden are so beautiful. The creeper plants have weak stems so they creep along the ground to reach their resources. The climber plants climb up structures and look dignified.
I want to be more than the climber plant – I want to climb and not need support!
It’s like any event in life. You get beaten down but we get up again.
Wasn’t it Confucius who said, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
I remembered in my younger days, when a taxi rammed into my driver’s seat. It shook me but I went back to driving almost immediately so as not to acquire the fear.
I fell once at the mountain during skiing and nobody came to my rescue. My husband was nowhere to be found as skiing is a lone sport. Hobbling to the nearest cable station, the staff said they could not call for rescue as I was able to stand up.
Somehow, I miraculously skied back on one ski, took a painkiller and went back skiing again. I wouldn’t do it now if it happens again because one can rise up so many times as I am more aware of the current circumstances. I would just act motionless or play dead.
Well, I have started to make the flight of 20 steps in my house up and down gingerly with a grip on the railing. One day, it will be without gripping, another time, I will trot down the stairs like I used to.
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