Achilles is BACK!

My toe wiggle!! Can you see the blur??!

Timeline: week 2 + 3 days of club foot
Current Situation: cooling off my stump & eating enough food for 2 people
Mood: introspective
Word of the day to describe my splint: Pig in a blanket
Tunes: Yiruma - River Flows In You

Step 1 done! Surgery went well, only tricky part was the nurse had to poke me 3 times in order to get the iv running. All the nurses and anesthesiologists were so nice to me. They all were very curious about how I injured myself jumping rope. I heard a lot of "Oh you're the jump rope girl!" ""Oh I read your chart and was wondering about that!" "How exactly does that work? Jump rope?" The anesthesiologists that worked with me during my surgery were singing Double Dutch Bus by Frankie Smith as we wheeled into the surgery room - hilarious.

My leg was nice and numb yesterday, so I had a full nights slumber with no pain! I restfully woke up at around 5:15 this morning, was wide awake, and still unable to wiggle my toes. It was a little uncomfortable, and I thought the nerve block was supposed to wear off by the morning; so I thought maybe if did some bicycle motions in the air with my leg that I could get the "blood flowing" and some feeling back in my leg. That kinda helped. Then I tried really hard to wiggle my toes and I got some cramp-y tingly sensation in my leg. I thought to myself, "Woohoo! Sensation!" So I decided to do 3 sets of 10 of attempted toe wiggles. I took my pain meds, iced, got sleepy, and fell asleep to the live feed of the World Jump Rope Tournament going on in DC. That kept me pretty busy today in between eating, resting, and icing - that is until the pain set in.

At around noon I was able to wiggle my toes, but still couldn't feel the rest of my leg. I had a feeling once I did have my sensation back it'd be a little painful. So I made sure I iced, ate, and took my meds. But, even with the meds, it started as pins and needles and then just pain. I guess it's about time I felt some pain with this injury. It feels like a real injury now. haha. So I upped my med dosage since I was taking the minimum, and found only one position to be comfortable. I feel like the princess and the pea with the amount of pillows I have on this bed.

Alas, it's been a good week filled with many encouraging messages and little notes from friends and family. Heck, it's been a great month filled with good people and good memories. Well, despite the burn out and blown out Achilles, it really has been a good month.

I can't help, but think about the almost unparalleled value of the human connection. Without it, I'm not quite sure how functional anyone would be. This Ted talk was introduced to me about a year ago and has definitely put things in a different perspective for me. I've watched it like a million times and every time I feel like I've learned something new. Maybe I'm just bad at listening so I'm unable to absorb all that it has to offer in just 2 sittings. Maybe I'm just ADD and can't focus for more than 2 minutes on something. Maybe I'm just not good at reading or following lectures. But, I'm telling you, I'm pretty sure this Ted Talk is dense with a beautifully voiced perspective on life. Watch it. Watch part of it. Watch it again if you've watched it before. Or don't watch it. At least you've gotten this far in my blog post :)

I know it's quite a long video...but it's only 20 minutes of your time! I have finally been able to look at the transcript (because I'm such a visual learner) and really take a look at the content of Brené Brown's discussion - The Power of Vulnerability. And I've had this draft open for a couple of days and had taken notes on all the key points that I liked from her lecture, but I just couldn't figure out how I wanted to discuss all these concepts in my own voice. I've decided that I'm going to make this a 2 part post, otherwise I might loose you in my thoughts :) I encourage you to take a look at this video and sit on it for a little while. Then I will share with you part of my story and how I think some of Brené's concepts resonate within my own life. Or don't take a look at this video and just read what I have to share in my next post. The choice is yours :)

Stay tuned for part deux!
M

My Gimpy Journey Ahead...

Post workout: Icin', grubbin', & puzzlin'

Recovery timeline: week almost 2, day 13 of immobilization

Current situation: post-dinner chill mode

Mood: itching to walk on two feet and to itch the inside of my splint; it's too hot.

Word of the day to describe my splint: sausage

Tunes: Braveheart techno remixes (hah don't worry...it's jump rope related)

So my intention for this blog was originally to log my surf sessions so that I could look back, reflect, and hopefully become a better surfer. But, due to recent events, I am going to put a spin onto my originally intentions. I aim to use this blog to log what I've learned and what I'll be learning during my recovery and in my journey in building a business and community. I hope to keep myself inspired and hope to spark a little something within my readers.

Since my last post, I've crossfitted, rope jumped, coached, and schooled my heart out. Results of the past 2 weeks: unable to continue school, no jump rope, and a torn Achilles. Fact: I burnt out.

In the past month I've been doing quite a bit of reflecting about where I'm going and what I'm doing with my life. And given my current situation I'm pretty much literally forced to sit down and think.  I've come to the conclusion that where ever I go and whatever I do, I have to do with passion. So what am I passionate about? I am passionate about people. Understanding, interacting, and being inspired by another. And I am passionate about fitness/health; more specifically jump rope.

So, expect from me in the next year to become the queen of a huge jump rope empire in the Bay Area. Jump rope has been a part of a majority of my life, 20 years to be exact. It has always been somewhat of a selfish outlet for my own sanity, but in the past 4-5 years it's become so much more than that. I have discovered my niche for teaching and coaching, and the joy that accompanies every aspect of my job.

Favorite part of my job: Seeing the light bulbs go off. There's nothing more inspiring than seeing another person tap into their potential and work with it. And then see it work towards a greater whole.

So I told myself I wanted to keep this entry semi-short and sweet and I think I've accomplished my goal. I look forward to logging in more hours to this blog and hope that you'll enjoy the ride or part of the ride with me.

I think this last quote sums up my entry quite nicely: Love what you do, and do what you love.

Until next time, M