Murphy’s Law says that if I can go wrong, it will but I have never seen the negative side rather the positive. In October 2022 I started playing the wonderful new game called Padel which is a combination of tennis and squash.
If you haven’t tried it then please do yourself a favor and try it out. The third time I played I didn’t warm up properly and as I pulled away on a point, I heard this snap in my knee. I have had two major ACL operations, so I was very nervous that I had torn my ACL as I know it is an eight-month recovery process. After going for an MRI scan it was established that I had torn my meniscus off the bone, so I had to go for an “root repair”. The operation was on the 11th of November, and I had to be on crutches for six weeks which meant I had spent half my December holiday on crutches.
The reason why I am telling you this story is because I really struggled mentally and physically over that six-week period. One, because I really enjoy training as stress reliever and two, because my mental health is very much dependent on my physical health.
That’s where the problem lies, and I really had to focus on things to be grateful for. In the first few weeks when I could not do anything, I realized what a privilege it is to be fit, healthy and able bodied. I started appreciating the fact that I had all my limbs and the fact that I was not in a wheelchair.
I soon realized that my mental health cannot be dependent on my physical health as anything could happen to my physical health and that I would need to be able to adapt. I have always had massive respect for people with disabilities, but that respect was escalated to another level with my “temporary inconvenience”.
Sometimes we must look at our circumstances and just be grateful for the “small things” which become big things when you don’t have them anymore. On the 27th of December I could walk without crutches. The realization that being able to walk without assistance is a massive privilege hit me quite hard. It’s something most of us take for granted and something that we wouldn’t necessarily be grateful for daily.
International athletes get extremely upset when we are injured and cant take part in Ironman or the Cape Epic race which, to be brutally honest, is a disgrace. It made me realize that I must be grateful for my overall health and I must expect the unexpected and be prepared for when something affects my physical health.
In closing this piece, I would like to quote THE LEGENDARY Mahatma Gandhi who said “ It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of Gold and Silver.”
May you have many healthy, fruitful and grateful days and weeks this year. If you would like to get in touch with me for Debunking Motivation, please send an email to corne@cornekrige.com or look at my speaker sheet for more info. I also share my story on my social media pages on Facebook and LinkedIn.