What if
So another friend of mine is being told he can't do stuff because his knee is messed up. This makes 2 people I know now that have been told they can't do the things they love anymore because their bodies are saying no. Makes me wonder how I would feel if someone told me I could never ski again. Ever.
I would be heart broken. There's almost nothing I love more than skiing and I was planning on doing it until I literally couldn't anymore. If someone told me I'm done for good starting tomorrow, I just don't know how I would move on. That's one activity though, so not as bad as no, you can't be super physically active anymore. That would be sad.
I totally understand why my friends who have actually had this happen (being told they can't do most physical activity) are depressed. So much of my happiness comes from activity. There are chemical reactions that happen that produce the happy juice when you're active.
It also makes me realize I should value what I can do a whole lot more than I currently am. I've done some crazy ass stuff, like summiting mountains, riding 100 miles, and running 13.1 miles. Wow body. Go you. Of course, those accomplishments aren't without side effects that are everlasting. My big toe on my right foot still has moments when it goes numb because my hiking boots were too small. And I can't run more than a couple miles without my arthritis coming back. So really, I can't do what I used to be able to do, but I still do a lot.
Barre. Yoga. Shit, I even took a Krav Maga class. But I suppose I shouldn't push my body to its limits. I might actually break. Like my friend who ruptured his achilles tendon jumping off a cornice. He had to take it easy for awhile, but then he was back to jumping off cliffs. Taking it all for granted.
Fine line between taking it for granted and keeping yourself in shape. We must remember how fragile we really are.