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I’m drawn to people who strike me as being fully, vibrantly alive! Aren’t you?
That doesn’t necessarily mean my friends are all loud, or extroverted. One of the most vibrantly alive women that I know usually sits quietly in the group we’re in together. But when asked what she’s been up to lately, when this particular friend shares what she’s what she’s been doing lately, or things that she feels passionately about, I usually find myself listening slack-jawed, experiencing a mild case of shock and awe. 🙂 I love it that this quiet woman is living life wide open, even if she isn’t the first one to trumpet it! If I compared the vivacity of her life to the amount of sound that an amplifier can put out, hers is set at an eleven. (One louder!) 😉
As long as I’m using a “listening to music” metaphor, let me continue along that vein: we all need periods in our lives where we hit “Pause” momentarily, to rest and refresh, before we go back into the thick of things again, and hit “Play”. But sometimes, even a long “Pause” is not enough. When you suffer from unrelenting hip or knee pain, you can feel like you’re stuck on “Pause”, unable to hit “Play”. Things that you used to enjoy doing are no longer fun. In fact, they become downright painful. For some folks, it becomes apparent that if they continue along the course they’re on, without doing something differently, that “Pause” they’ve hit just might be a more permanent “Stop”: no more hiking, no more taking walks. What a sad thought, missing out doing the things we love to do!
Ask yourself: “How often am I missing out on doing things I used to actually enjoy doing, things that would be good for my overall health, if it weren’t for this pain?”
Might it be time to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?
I have two friends I want to tell you about, who really inspire me to want to “Hit Play” on my own life.
Alison is a dear friend of over 30 years who is a 6 year breast cancer survivor. One thing she decided to do to continue to live her life to the fullest, and to kick cancer’s butt, all at the same time, was to go on the Susan G. Komen 3/60 walk. It’s a walking event that raises money for breast cancer research. Participants walk 20 miles a day, for 3 days in a row: that’s a total of 60 miles! It’s unbelievably demanding! She participated in that walk for two years, even with hip pain, although her hip pain went from being intermittent, to constant. Even at that, this year, she desperately wanted to do another 3/60. Alison finally had a talk with her doctor, and following last year’s event, made the decision to go ahead and have one of her two hip joints replaced. This weekend, she begins her third 3/60 in San Diego! Her plan at this point is to go back following this event, and probably have her other hip replaced.
My second friend who inspires me so much, is my dear friend, Hannah. She’s a part of a group of 13 women with whom I meet, every Friday morning. Hannah initially thought the pain she was feeling was a back problem, and she saw her doctor to discuss it. Hannah loves to go on walks, with friends, and family, and the pain she was feeling was keeping her from it. It turned out, after seeing her doctor, she learned that the pain she was experiencing had to do with her hip, not her back. Hannah has since had each hip joint replaced, and a couple of weeks ago, she and her husband and family climbed Mt. Le Conte, in the Smokies, a 6.7 mile hike, each way. Hannah celebrated the morning of her 78th birthday, at the inn, high atop Mt. Le Conte, the third highest peak in the Smokey Mountains National Park, elevation 6,953 feet! It’s a very challenging hike. I’m so proud of her!
I want to be like Hannah and Alison when I grow up! I don’t want to let pain cause me to put my life on “Pause”. I want to “Hit Play”!!!
Are you ready to “Hit Play” on your life again, to take back any ground you may have lost? Are you ready to fully enjoy life with your friends and loved ones, doing the things you once did?
Talk to a doctor about the treatment options that might be right for you. To find a physician in your area, who can talk to you about potential solutions for your hip and knee pain, go to TimeToHitPlay.com
On the TimeToHitPlay.com website, underneath their video screen on that page , you’ll see a box that says, “Find A Doctor”, where you can enter your Zip Code. It’s a Physician Locator, and it will help you find a doctor in your geographic area who can help you sort through your options.
Jennifer Dunham
Tuesday 15th of November 2016
I love the metaphor you used! Sometimes we can hit "pause" for too long and get comfortable there and we need something to help us get out and press "play" again.
lisa
Tuesday 15th of November 2016
so smart. such great advice. pause. then go. My recent post Fashion Days. When an over 40 and a teen take to the woods.
Dr. Margaret Rutherford
Tuesday 15th of November 2016
Great post Susan! I'm all about pausing a moment for a breath or for rest, but getting back on the horse, even if you have to do it differently. Only thing I'd add would be to watch for depression as well. Not doing what you used to love to do is what we term in psychology "anhedonia", and is a hallmark of mild to severe depression. Okay - psychologist comment. Thanks for the read!