Injury Won't Stop Me

Last week I injured my foot pretty bad. I had one friend who was a former paramedic tell me it was probably broken, reiterated by my brother-in-law who is an orthopedic assistant. So you can imagine my relief when I went to the doctor and was told it was only a really bad sprain. Still not great, especially since I have to wear a big orthopedic boot, but it beats having a broken foot and wearing a cast.

So since I haven't been able to work out at the gym (which I joined a little over a week ago), I've been feeling really lethargic, not motivated to do anything but go to church. I realized it must be because I’m not working out like I was before. Even before I joined the gym, I speed walked around my neighborhood at least three times a week. So I realized that if I was going to get motivated to do anything, I would have to find a way to exercise with the orthopedic boot on my foot.

I remembered that after my fibroid surgery, I could do little walking, going up and down the steps without pain, etc. I had begun doing simple leg lifts from my bed, similar to ones I did with weights when I worked out at Curves once. Amazingly, the simple exercises made me feel better and more energetic. So I’ve begun doing the same exercises while waiting for my foot to heal.

Of course these exercises don’t give me the lift that working out at the gym does, but they do give me some energy to get up and move. I was in decent shape when I joined the gym, but nothing like I wanted to be. And since I could be in this boot for up to a month, I am determined not to gain weight or lose the little bit of strength I gained when I exercised on a regular basis.

This injury has also taught me not to waste time. Before I hurt my foot, I wanted to take a Zumba class, but because of my need to be perfect at everything, I didn’t take the class out of fear I might not be as good as all the others in the class. This is crazy because I kicked butt in every dance class I took at VCU. I mean the fact I wasn’t afraid to take a Krav Maga class after surgery, but too scared to take a Zumba class perfectly healthy is CRAZY. If I were to have permanent damage to my foot and never had taken the class, I'd be really upset with myself.

So, hopefully, once my foot heals, I will stop being a scaredy cat and take the Zumba class. But one thing is for sure, I will keep moving no matter what. I wasted enough time in my 20s and 30s when I was stronger, and now that I don’t have youth on my side, I am determined to feel and be strong regardless of surgery, injury or anything else that comes along. Because I don’t want to just be strong now, I want to be strong at 40, 50,60 and even 70. I read an article in the The Washington Post Magazine about a 72 year old female weight lifter. I know it can be done.

After all the pain and loss I’ve dealt with in my life, I am just ready to be not only be strong, not just happy, I want to be fabulous. Like Paul said in Philippians 3:14, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me." What's the prize I'm striving for? Feeling victory instead of fear and regret. I've had enough of that. Now I'm ready to kick fear and regret's butt. And look and feel fabulous doing it.

Life After Surgery

Getting ready for church Sunday I tried on three different pairs of pants because surprisingly, pants I couldn’t get into comfortably four weeks ago are now slouching on me. I wanna give myself a high five I’m so happy! It really feels good to see that hard work does pay off! I’ve been eating better and doing a lot of exercising and I'm happy to say that I don’t just look better, I feel better, and stronger!

The best thing about my recuperation has been being able to exercise regularly without pain, and without having to take a three hour nap after 30 measly minutes of exercise. That was life before the surgery. I’m still unable to pick up my two year-old nephew without having pain that requires taking two Advil. He’s only two years old, but about 40 pounds, and guess lifting heavy things is the only regular thing I’m not able to do yet. But, it’s only been two months since the surgery and the doctors said it may take up to six months for the fibroids to completely shrink. So that means not lifting anything heavy for now, including my adorable nephew, for another four more months.

Before what I like to call “fibroid hell” began, I always took my health, stamina, and quite frankly, my uterus for granted. Had I known this was going to happen, I would have tried harder to find a husband and have some little rascals of my own! But I've made peace with the fact that I may not ever have children. I've always been open to adoption, and as a person of faith, I believe that if it's in God's plan for me to have children, I'll have them. And if it's not in the plan, I'll still have more than 10 beautiful nieces and nephews that bring me a lot of joy.

Having the surgery, being close to turning 40, and especially losing my father last year has reminded me that I really can't take life for granted, and to make the best of every moment. In our crazy busy, always on-the-move lives, we too often forget that we don't have forever to make an impact in this world, and I want to make my mark. I intend to make the best of my time while I'm here, and I'm starting today.

New Year, New Beginnings

Last Sunday after church I bought a spiral notebook that had on the cover a picture from one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books, Oh, the Places You'll Go! It shows a little boy in a hot air balloon following a bunch of other hot air balloons up in the sky. The message of the story is simply that life is full of infinite possibilities. I figured having a journal with this image where I write down my ideas, blog drafts, and other items related to achieving my dream of becoming a published children's author, would be a good way to remind me to keep working toward my dream, even when the madness of life hits like it is prone to do.

One of the first things I wrote in the notebook was my 2011 New Year resolutions. Like last year, I've created eight resolutions to focus on. It's a bit of an ambitious list, but with discipline I think I can do most of them. Here they are:

1. Begin a blog to document the 100 children's books I will read this year. It will be research I conduct before submitting my children's stories to agents and publishers. I read an article in one of my writing magazines where an agent was quoted as saying that writers should read at least 100 children’s books before submitting their own to publishers in order to get a good idea of what kinds of children's books are popular.



2. Create a professional blog to serve as a resource of information for my resume clients and potential clients. This will also help with goal # 3 which is to:



3. Self-publish a resume writing handbook that also features chapters on networking and other career related tips.



4. Complete my science-fiction novel.



5. Complete my women's novel.



6. Read at least one novel a month. Any writer can tell you that the more you read the better writer you become. And since I am working on finishing a women's novel and a science fiction novel, both I began writing over a year ago, I think reading other books will help me to finish the ones I want to get published the most.



7. Save $500-1,000 to have an fantastic 40th birthday trip in November to Florida or Las Vegas. Because with the exception of my then-4 year old nephew giving me 30 kisses on my 30th birthday, that birthday sucked, and I am determined to make sure 40 doesn't.And last but not least...



8. Go to God with every important decision that I need to make, especially those that really weigh on me.

As for the last resolution, you would think that I'm already good at going to God to ask for guidance in decisions, but the crazy thing is, I haven't always been. There have been many times in my life where I've struggled with a decision because I didn't go to God with it, and those times that I did go to God in prayer, I woke up the next day feeling at peace and knowing the right thing to do.

So this year will be different. I'm going to do what it says in Philippians 4:6 and ask God's input for those things that really weigh on me - then listen for his response. Because going through struggles without seeking God's help many times has ended in disaster for me. But those days are over now!

As I read over the list, I realize I might be biting off more than I can chew, but I believe in aiming high, and since 2010 was a really difficult year, I'm determined for 2011 to not just be good but great. I encourage you to do the same - create a happy New Year, don't just hope for it to happen.

So get working on those resolutions, and be blessed in 2011!

Independence Day Miracle

I just submitted the following story to A Cup of Comfort for Christian Women. It is much like the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. I will be submitting it to other publications as well, so I would much appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

It was a typical July morning – sunny and hot with clear, blue skies. My sister Kelly and I, her two sons – Ray, 11, and Devin, 9, and her boyfriend Joe (now her husband) were on our way to Virginia Beach for the July 4th holiday. Kelly was a new driver and really shouldn’t have been driving on an interstate highway, but she was confident, and I trusted that she was up to the task having before seen her prevent accidents with her smart driving skills. We all were excited about going to the beach, because it had been a while for all of us, and Kelly and I especially, needed a mini vacation. I had just started a new job three weeks prior as an office manager for a Baptist church, and while I loved it, it had been a lot more work than I ever could have imagined, and I needed a breather. Kelly was working a demanding job she hated, and was determined to get away, even if just for two days.

We all got packed into Kelly’s small Honda and were ready to go. We stopped off at a McDonald’s to get some breakfast before getting on the highway. As we all shuffled back into the car, I got a very eerie feeling. It was one I’d never felt before, so I dismissed it as paranoia and I thought nothing more of it. I didn’t realize what it was at the time, but I now know that it was God warning me of what was to come. He was telling me that a storm was coming, but he wasn’t going to let me drown.

We had been on the road for about three hours, and Devin, Raymond, and I had just woke up from a nap. Kelly noticed that we were waking up, and looked back at us to tell us that we were had about one more hour to go before we would arrive at the beach. The boys and I got excited and began cheering “One more hour to go,” and that’s when everything happened. Almost immediately after we began cheering, I heard what sounded like Kelly driving over a piece of plastic, and then she started to swerve. It didn’t scare me at first because I’d seen her accidentally drive over curbs without losing control of her car, but this time she was going 70 miles per hour, trying to keep up with the other drivers on the road who were practically running over her. She wasn’t used to going that speed, and she lost control of the car, skidded, and hit four trees just off the shoulder of the road.

I don’t remember crashing, but I must have blacked out for two to three minutes, because the next thing I remember was looking up to a flood of people running to the car trying to help me out. I remember thinking “WHAT is going on, and WHO are these people?” It wasn’t until I saw a man trying to pull open Joe’s door on the passenger side of the car that I realized that we had crashed.

The scene was complete chaos, like something out of a movie. I had blood running all down my face, with sawdust and shards of glass all through my hair, in my blouse, and my skirt –and my nephew Raymond was screaming. His leg had been caught in the front passenger seat where Joe had been sitting. People were trying to get him out and I was trying to calm him down, but he kept screaming. Joe finally realized why Ray was screaming and lifted the seat up, and with the help of several good Samaritans who pried the door open, Joe and Raymond were able to get out. Kelly and Devin had crawled out of the driver’s side seat window, and I, with the help of a man who extended me his arm, got out of the car and was helped to a patch of grass on the side of the road. There was a woman sitting on the ground where I sat with a cooler, and she asked me if I wanted a bottle of water. I told her yes, and drank the water while, she lifted hair out of my eyes, complimenting me on my Shirley Temple curls. As she wiped blood off my face, I looked around and noticed people scrambling everywhere. It literally looked like a crash scene out of a movie, but I still hadn’t realized the gravity of the situation. I called Kelly over to where I was sitting and asked her if I should call someone to pick us up. She gave me a bewildered, confused look, then turned and walked away. The woman helping me turned and kindly said to me, “You’re not going anywhere. You’ve got to go to a hospital!” I realized what she was saying made sense, but I think that I must have been in shock, and just wanted to get off the side of the road. I asked the woman how I was going to get to the hospital and she said that someone had called 911, and that an ambulance was on its way.

At the hospital, it took some time to get all the tests completed, but after about two hours, I was told that I didn’t have a concussion, only bruising and inflammation on the right side of my head, and that would go away in time. As for my family, Kelly had a minor laceration below her chin, Raymond also had a large cut below his chin, as well as a black eye, but thankfully, there was no injury to his leg, which had been caught behind the passenger side seat. Devin was practically untouched with a cut behind his ear. Joe, the only one who sustained a serious injury, had to get glass lodged inside his arm removed and stitched up. Being the stocky bodybuilder that he was, however, he didn’t seem fazed by the procedure. Kelly’s car hit four trees, and except for Joe none of us sustained serious or life-altering injuries.

I thank God for getting us through what was a very traumatic ordeal. It was only through his favor that my family and I were saved that day. In addition to the minor cuts and scrapes on my face I got from the accident, I continue to have sensitivity on the side of my head that has been ruled as mild, non-threatening nerve damage. I also have a scar on my right wrist from a large cut that was not stitched up in the hospital.

After the accident, I was frustrated that the doctors couldn’t do more about my head injury and that they hadn’t bothered to stitch up my wrist. However I am now thankful for these minor nuisances because they remind me that I am child of the most-high God, who through the blood of Jesus Christ I am saved, blessed and highly favored, and meant for great things. Since the accident, I have experienced the death of a parent, unemployment, and broken relationships that have made me want to give up and give in. But because of my scar and the nerve damage that remains, I am reminded that God has brought me through the wreckage – literally, and that as it says in the Philippians 4:13, that I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. And as strange as it might sound, I am thankful to that accident, because it has shown me the true power of God, and strengthened my faith, my resolve and my life.