I have been thinking about what I should write to start off the new year and like eveyone else I didn't want to promise some easily forgotten resolution that would be null and void by early March. We all say when the new year arrives, yes I should eat better, exercise more and try to save money. We all know that is a given and should be recognized any time of the year not just when the new year rolls around.
This new year has been different for me. The day before Thanksgiving I had my ACL replaced and have been going thru one of the most difficult recoveries in my life.
The surgery itself I handled well but it has been the rehabilitation that has been so difficult. I guess when I knew I was going to have to have this done I didn't expect to find myself for so many weeks not being able to do even normal daily things that we take for granted. Taking a shower was a chore, getting myself dressed was difficult and the countless hours of laying around were more than I expected. I am not much of a t.v. watcher, and many hobbies I love I was not able to do. I even got to the point of wanting to take care of household chores that at times can seem so boring but wasn't even able to do that. It just got to a point that I needed to feel whole and in control of my life.
So what does this have to do with Pay It Forward? Well, if any of you have seen the 2000 movie which starred Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey, it is a story about a young boy who wants to help 3 people who are having difficult times in their lives. He does just that and these 3 people help some others and it continues on. To me this just goes to show you what an impact each of us has on each others lives even though we may not realize it. Having said that, while I had all this time to think while I was recovering, I decided that I would try to Pay It Forward to recoginize all of the friends and family members who helped me get thru a diffcult time. I was lucky enough to have a husband who took care of everything around the house, cooked meals, did grocery shopping etc. without ever complaining. I also have a son who called often just to see how I was doing and to encourage me. A sister who came and spent an afternoon with me even though she had things to do at her own home. An aunt that brought meals over which always seemed to be on the perfect days when I had therapy and we got home late from these sessons. All in all I consider myself to be a very lucky person and now it is my turn to pay it forward. If we each could just take a look at our own lives and think about how someone made our day a little brighter and how much it meant to us, and if we returned the favor to someone else, the world may just be a little bit nicer place to live. So take a look at your life and see if there isn't someone who would benefit from a Pay It Forward!
This new year has been different for me. The day before Thanksgiving I had my ACL replaced and have been going thru one of the most difficult recoveries in my life.
The surgery itself I handled well but it has been the rehabilitation that has been so difficult. I guess when I knew I was going to have to have this done I didn't expect to find myself for so many weeks not being able to do even normal daily things that we take for granted. Taking a shower was a chore, getting myself dressed was difficult and the countless hours of laying around were more than I expected. I am not much of a t.v. watcher, and many hobbies I love I was not able to do. I even got to the point of wanting to take care of household chores that at times can seem so boring but wasn't even able to do that. It just got to a point that I needed to feel whole and in control of my life.
So what does this have to do with Pay It Forward? Well, if any of you have seen the 2000 movie which starred Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey, it is a story about a young boy who wants to help 3 people who are having difficult times in their lives. He does just that and these 3 people help some others and it continues on. To me this just goes to show you what an impact each of us has on each others lives even though we may not realize it. Having said that, while I had all this time to think while I was recovering, I decided that I would try to Pay It Forward to recoginize all of the friends and family members who helped me get thru a diffcult time. I was lucky enough to have a husband who took care of everything around the house, cooked meals, did grocery shopping etc. without ever complaining. I also have a son who called often just to see how I was doing and to encourage me. A sister who came and spent an afternoon with me even though she had things to do at her own home. An aunt that brought meals over which always seemed to be on the perfect days when I had therapy and we got home late from these sessons. All in all I consider myself to be a very lucky person and now it is my turn to pay it forward. If we each could just take a look at our own lives and think about how someone made our day a little brighter and how much it meant to us, and if we returned the favor to someone else, the world may just be a little bit nicer place to live. So take a look at your life and see if there isn't someone who would benefit from a Pay It Forward!
