Why I'm Glad I Broke My Hand

Word to the wise: when performing box jumps, don't let your ego get in the way :-) Make sure you can clear the box before deciding to jump on it! Otherwise, you may find yourself with a fractured metacarpal. I'm now sporting a brace and will be for the next 6-8 weeks.

Don't make the same mistake I--or this
person--did!

Obviously, my preference would have been an injury-free Christmas vacation. I would love to be able to peel a orange for myself, do 25 pushups, or open a door without that awkward cross-body reach.  But the reality is that I am otherwise encumbered for the next several weeks, so there's no point in lamenting it. My time is better spent focusing on what I can still do. The more I do that, the more I find my perspective shifts from one of lack to one of abundance.

I read a lot of positive psychology theory, so I know that we make choices about how to perceive situations we find ourselves in--choices that lead to either misery or freedom. We may not always have a choice about happens to us, but we always have a choice about how we choose to react to the situation.

I know from experience that the choice that leads to freedom is hard. It's very easy to live the life of a pessimist. Life gives us no shortage of things to be upset, angry, and frustrated about. Playing the victim card is easy, and satisfying: when you're the victim, you absolve yourself of all responsibility for your misfortunes. You also become the one to whom things are done as opposed to the one who does things. In other words you relinquish your power.

I'm not saying that I am at fault for getting injured, or that we should accept the bad fortune that at times befalls us with open arms. I'm simply saying that we all have free will that affords us the chance to own our situation and be emboldened to do something about it.

Being miserable about an unfortunate situation is not mandatory. You have a choice. I have a choice. To choose to see my situation in a positive light empowers me. I'm no longer a victim of my circumstance, but an actor in my own rehabilitation and recovery. I choose to explore what I can do with my broken hand as opposed to what I can't (for another 6-8 weeks). The more I explore, the more is revealed to me about what I can do as opposed to what I can't. Simple tasks may take a little longer to complete, but the extra time it takes often means the task is completed more carefully and thoroughly.

This injury forced me to slow down and examine some of the ways that I was rushing through life. Not only with regards to errands and things I have to do, but even with the things I enjoy. For example, I now have to eat with my left hand which requires much more concentration. I enjoy my meals much more now because I have no choice but to truly savor what I'm eating. I had to adapt my training as well. A torn deltoid on my left side was giving me pain, but I found myself pushing through certain exercises that aggravated it because I maintaining my fitness was my first priority. Now, upper body work is out of the question which means my shoulder is healing quite nicely. It goes without saying that all the glute work I've been doing is paying off in spades ;-) As far as I'm concerned, that's the best perk of all!!!

Broken hand: I will vanquish thee!