Thursday, January 15, 2009

The Long(est) Road to Recovery

Today is the ten week anniversary of my last official activity. I refereed a hockey game in Altoona that night. Over the past ten weeks I have learned quite a bit about what I am capable of mentally. It's ironic, but I thought that the toughest mental challenge I ever faced was running a marathon. Going through this injury has been far and away much tougher.

How I got through this and continue to get through it was and is simply changing my perspective. I've changed my routine. A new saying that I catch myself saying all the time at work is that "this is my reality". My reality for the past 10+ weeks, and actually longer than 13 weeks when you consider that I was very hobbled for three weeks, has been that I have not been able to skate or run.

I'm getting closer. I'm getting healthier. I'm getting stronger. Both mentally and physically. It's been a process, no doubt about that. I have learned to adapt to a situation I hadn't been faced with before. When I come out of this, I'll be better for having gone through it. I'll be as mentally tough as I've ever been, and that's saying something. I am ready for my next challenge. And right now, that challenge is getting to the end of this, the longest road to recovery.

The day I remove those counters to the left (days since I ran, days since I last officiated) is coming soon. When exactly? I cannot say for sure, but soon.

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