Bowled Over By Love
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you have shared in my life lessons taught to me by my two great danes, Zeebo and Suki. My latest lesson has been about the power of love and gratitude. Some lessons are learned easily while others require a bit of suffering and pain. Unfortunately, this lesson involved the latter. The opening chapter of my lesson began three weeks ago while on a typical evening "walk-the-dogs" stroll by the beach with my family. It was a gorgeous evening, a cool breeze blew off the water and the sun was just beginning to set for the night. The dogs were feeling frisky and a bit boisterous after being cooped up for most of the day. My husband, stepdaughter and I were recapping the day's events while crossing the parking lot of the beach. I handed Zeebo's leash off to my husband while I picked up after Suki and walked a few feet to the garbage receptacle. As I turned around, I saw the dogs were chasing and wrestling with each other while my husband struggled to maintain control. Zeebo spotted me and bounded toward me with such exuberance as if I had been away from his side for weeks rather than seconds. All 130 lbs of him leapt toward me at nearly full speed. I stepped to my left and turned sideways in an attempt to block his leap with the thought that he would miss me. Instead he "chested" me like a football player and my husband reported I was knocked down "like a bowling pin."

I remember Zeebo's joyful expression while bounding toward me, feeling the impact of his chest on my upper body, stumbling in slow motion to regain my balance, realizing that I was fast approaching the pavement with no time to change the direction of my impact and landing boom..boom..boom...knee...hand...elbow onto the blacktop. The worst part of the fall was the elbow--I felt as though my arm had been transformed into a large hand saw which someone was holding by the handle and quivering to create an awful twanging experience up and down my arm. It was one of the most painful things I have experienced--a new measuring bar to add to childbirth and root canal work. It took me several moments to regain my breath and stand up to assess the damage. After x-rays in ER, the evening ended with me in a half cast and sling to wear for a week until I could get an appointment with an orthopedist to determine if there was a break. Thankfully, there was no break and I was told to wear the sling for a few weeks til the nerve damage was mended.

So what's the lesson, you ask, other than to wear hockey gear when out walking the dogs? For me the lesson was to be grateful for the gift of mobility and health. Since the accident I have been painfully reminded about the exquisite pleasure one should acknowlege when it comes to being able to complete tasks independently, like opening a can of spaghetti sauce by myself or cutting up my own food. I have also become aware of the love of my family as they have become more helpful and solicitous as my injured "wing" heals. Once again I think about that Joan Baez lyric "Don't it always seem to go, you don't know what you've got til it's gone" and realize how I have taken my healthy and moveable parts for granted. As my body works its magic to heal my elbow, I am increasingly grateful and thankful each day for the incremental steps towards full recovery. Each morning I give a silent "thanks" as I recover a bit more mobility without pain. Today I am typing this entry with both hands, a definite improvement from the hunt and peck routine of last week! Earlier this week I spoke with a family member who experiences chronic medical issues. Joyce exudes an attitude of wonder and gratitude each day. She shared with me that she views each and every day as a second chance--the gift of life to be experienced and cherished. Life, for her, is full of opportunity and joy which she embraces with mindful attention in spite of her health problems.

Does such gratitude need to spring from pain? Perhaps sometimes it does, but my hope in sharing with you my experience is that you will take a moment to reflect and revel in all you have right now rather than your deficits or weaknesses.

Thought for the Day: Take a moment to assess your amazing and beautiful body and offer a silent prayer of gratitude.

"When a person doesn't have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude."
--Elie Wiesel