There’s times when you feel hopeless.
In the desert without a compass and everywhere you turn the landscape looks the same. You want a high def direction though your GPS doesn’t compute. You’ve landed on Setback Street.
What’s your next move?
A few years ago, I felt a sharp pain in the lower right groin area. For several weeks, the pain came and went involuntarily without warning. I’m interested in medical stuff. After weeks of research I hypothesized I was the proud owner of an inguinal hernia.
During an examination by the surgeon, he concurred (love that word) that I did in fact have an inguinal hernia. (I should have been a doctor, I thought.)
“Do you mind if I check the other side?” Doc asked politely. As I gave him the gesture of -be my guest- he said I also have a hernia on the left side as well. Lucky me. Twin Inguinals!
Fast forward to the uneventful day of outpatient surgery. The medical team knocked me out, inserted polypropylene mesh to repair, and sent me home.
The recovery process took longer than expected. After eight months of not being able to jog I got a little depressed. Running was so much a part of my daily life I didn’t know how I could ever live without it. The pounds started to add up, I was lethargic, and found myself on Setback Street.
I asked myself a coaching question. “What’s a low impact challenging exercise I can perform while in recovery.” Why not yoga? At the time I didn’t know it, but I had just landed on Transition Street.
To look at me, I’d be the last person you’d think of stretched out on a mat doing sun salutation, cobra, warrior, and downward facing dog poses. I’m 6’5″, 270 pounds at the time, and looked like a human version of an over weight Big Bird on Sesame Street.
I negotiated a personal contract with myself to go to one yoga class every day for 30 days at Dharma Yoga Syracuse. I crushed that goal and extended my yogi streak to over two months. I then spent the next 16 months going to three to four 75 minute yoga classes each week.
Thanks to a double inguinal hernia, I landed on Transition Street which led me directly to incorporating yoga into my life. BTW, I rarely run any more. Yoga is my exercise of choice.
Yoga gives me:
- Balance
- Poise
- Calmness
- Endurance
- Conscious breathing
- Isometric training
- Meditation
- Stretching
- Confidence
- Muscle tone
Thanks to my sweet painful -Inguinal Twins,- unlike running, I have a more meaningful exercise routine I can perform, God willing, well into my golden years.
We all experience times of change. We can either put up a fight and resist or look at this detour in life as a sign that something better is on it’s way.
The next time you find yourself on Setback Street, ask the universe to take you to Transition Street.
Tell me in the comments below the last time you faced an obstacle in your professional or personal life. What was your process?
As always, thank you so much for reading my posts. Please subscribe, post to one of the social media sites of choice, or email to someone who might benefit from this essay.
Namaste.
Photo courtesy of MattysFlicks.
Great story. This summer I had an operation that also set me back. I’m now trying to regain my abdominal strength which is easier said than done. I too tried something new, Barr. It’s a combination of ballet, yoga, and pilates. I’m not much of a dancer, but this stuff is miraculous. I’m now adding that into the mix and feeling much more optimistic about my recovery.
I checked out Barr on a video. I don’t dance! 😉
Glad to hear you’re on the mend Karin.
Nice example Steve. I learned this lesson myself some time ago. The way I like to sum it up is “Stuff doesn’t happen to us, stuff happens and we are part of what is happening. What we do with that is what matters. We can choose to let what’s happening hold us back, or we can use it as a motivator to move forward, perhaps view the world differently.”
Viewing the world differently is a choice.
Well said Steve.
Dear Steve,
This is a great post! Thank you for the very funny movie clip! I discovered coaching after it looked like my acting career wasn’t going to pan out after an accident. Coaching, speaking and writing are my new loves and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love how God leads.
Nai
Nai, I’m glad you’ve found your calling. Your new chapter is in play.
Thanks for the generous comments on the post.
God leads and God winks. 😉