The wait. The long game. The anticipation seems to be 80% of a battle sometimes. I’m not sure if it is actually the minutes that make it hard or what we do with that time between that makes it hard. And I’m not talking about we are physically doing with that time as much as I am talking about what we are mentally doing with that time. Our minds are what makes the fight so much harder sometimes and that’s why I think I got through the whole amputation thing so well. I didn’t think about it much. That doesn’t mean I didn’t have emotional moments but it does mean I didn’t let those moments last forever. I didn’t lift that blanket up to allow myself to think about it. And because I didn’t think about the fact that I am down a leg means that I didn’t think about all the baggage that comes with that initial thought. Doesn’t mean the obstacles didn’t exist or come up, it just meant that I only worried when a situation arose that needed me to. It’s the baggage is what weighs our hearts and minds and souls down. It’s the baggage that makes that anticipation a killer. So not inviting that one thought that sparks all the other little thoughts is not a hateful idea because it makes time not your enemy but more or less your friend and here’s why.

Imagine you are awaiting your surgery date for an amputation. You have the ability to do a few things here. You can one, think about how much you need to have two legs and you can’t believe this is happening. Thinking you can’t live without something sparks the thoughts about things you think it’s necessary to have two legs for. And those thoughts aren’t necessary. You can ask quite a few amputees and they will likely tell you similar things. I am able to do everything I did on two legs but it’s just a little differently. Now that isn’t so bad. Or you could think this second initial thought, “what should I have for supper tonight.” Unconventional. Right? I know not thinking about the inevitable doesn’t stop it from being inevitable but it does make the time between now and then much more enjoyable. And maybe it’s just me but I think there are some things you just can’t prepare for and amputation is one of them. Sure you can prepare your home and get some freezer meals done but your mind can never be ready for losing a limb. You may think you are, but you don’t really know how it feels till you know. And making your mind and heart sad about it ahead of time doesn’t make you any more ready. And who knows, maybe you’ll take it as well as I did and now you have spent your last couple days or hours or minutes on two legs not making the most of it.

This analogy can be be applied to many different situations in a persons life but I’ll let you make the connections. I just want to wrap this up by saying time is what you make of it. It’ll fly by and drag on and hang around in the middle of the two no matter what. And the things that God has scheduled on your timeline will happen no matter what. But you get to dictate your thoughts. You get to start the avalanche of thoughts that directly impact your mood and your vibes and your happiness. Don’t get buried under that avalanche. Instead, grab a sled and take the bumps as part of the ride and worry about what’s at the bottom when you get there. Lean with the curves. Not every ride will be easy but always take what you learned from each one and I promise it will make the next avalanche way less scary.

#TheOneLeggedMommy #Time #Thoughts #Mood #Happiness #NeverLiftUpTheBlanket #DontGetBuriedUnderTheThoughts #Amputee #Amputation #NecrotizingFasciitis #MakeTimeYourFriend