The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and this needs to remain true throughout one's life. After my big accident, it was easy to view myself as broken, changed, somehow less than I was before. Everything hurt: physically, mentally, spiritually -- so I was in my own race for healing. I knew I couldn't turn back time, but I sure tried to stop it. I swayed from the grand picture... I lived!!! Dealing with the trauma of a broken pelvis, hip, both legs and feet was hard. You can get caught up in the newest, best, fanciest things needed to move forward, but healing doesn't have to be about all that jazz.
Many resources for joint surgery are NOT geared for young patients. I had to learn many things on my own... After some frustrating times in my healing process, I started to bring it all back to the basics. I found the best way to move forward was not to focus on my legs, but rather to focus on healthy living and eating, strong family and friend connections, community involvement, and peace.
These revelations did not happen overnight and true happiness takes time. Is my life perfect now? No, but I am working on it! As a recovering perfectionist, these changes are slower than desired but coming. Finding your own peace will be however you find and define that. Once the negatives and extras are cut out, the path to healing and health is much easier. Getting out of our own way is the hard part, as life is complicated!
Let me show you how I found my way to a more simplified and integrated life! It has taken me cleaning up one part of my life at a time...
Who is KL? I'm a 40-something-year-old woman on a mission to get back to an active, happy life. In my previous life, I was a physician. Well, I guess technically I will always be a doctor, but I am not practicing now. Nothing on this site is a prescription for wellbeing and health, just a recording of what has worked for me as a patient.
Now retired(?), I love taking care of my children and teaching them in our new homeschool. We live up north and enjoy exploring all 4 seasons! I spend my days with cooking, crafts, and keeping areas free of clutter. My accident and COVID may have shaken things up, but I am in control of making my life happy and whole. So now I am cleaning it up one mess at a time...
If I can make these changes with my busy schedule, so can you! The little differences are adding up to make a more beautiful life. I am always trying to grow, learn a new trick, and improve the overall process. See if there are ways here that you can use to improve your life!
Check out my blog for details on my accident-&-recovery journey... How I went from running a half marathon, to almost dying twice, to now having enough titanium and screws to build a robot! (Well, okay, maybe a tiny robot?) I plan on adding yummy recipes, organizational ideas, DIY and frugal tips!
After my hip replacement, I tackled the other in-need-of-improvement parts of my life.
Just like a house getting a full renovation: one area done at a time, ripped down to the studs, and built back stronger and more beautiful than before !!!
After my hip replacement, I tackled the other in-need-of-improvement parts of my life.
Just like a house getting a full renovation:
one area done at a time, ripped down to the studs and built back stronger and more beautiful than before !!!
About
Picture taken by my littlest one when she was 4.5yo...
Kintsugi
Kintsugi - it is the ancient Japanese art of repairing pottery or objects with gold so that they remain useful. More importantly, the items are more beautiful after they are restored with gold, even as it highlights their flaws.
Whoa! Let that set in for a moment...
I came across this concept one day in my recovery from my car accident and it just hit me. The irony and connection to my life this philosophy has is unreal. My body was broken in so many ways, yet I was pieced back together beautifully.
I now get to chose to color those scars with a likeness of gold, highlight them in all of their glory for others to see and recognize, as they are now what truly makes me stronger. And those curved lines on my body, which show how everything was stitched back together - they are not reminders of pain nor my past life, but rather they accentuate my new beauty and strength!
Photo by Riho Kitagawa on Unsplash
People change for one of two reasons:
they have learned enough to want to,
or they have been hurt too much not to.
~ Anonymous
Details of my journey...
How It All Started... Cars, Crash, and Curtains
My Own Personal Hell?
One Accident,
Eleven Years,
Time for another Fix
Finding the right information to help on your healing journey can be tricky. I have searched many sites, and they can be scary! See below for some great options that come from respected groups... the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Mayo Clinic, and the National Institutes of Health.
Resources
