Perspective

It is funny how your perspective on life can change from day to day.  I spent the entire weekend depressed and angry that I was injured.  I had the perspective that I would never run again, and that my hobby was gone, and my training was all done for nothing.  Saturday was the worst, and Sunday was maybe a little bit better.  By Monday I still could not bend my knee, but I could walk, and after doing some extensive research, I thought that maybe there was some hope that I would run again, just after some rest.  Tuesday, I woke up and I was able to bend my knee and walk fairly normal.  My knee was still popping, but that was nothing.  I still was feeling pretty sorry for myself, but my attitude was improving.  I was even starting to feel like I would be able to run the half marathon in a week and a half.  Then I went to WalMart.  I was walking in with the boys when I spotted a little old lady in the parking lot holding onto a handicap sign.  She hollered for me to come over to her.  I took the boys and went over.  This is what happened.

"Excuse me Miss.  I cannot walk..."  she said.  She spoke very softly and slowly and seemed to be in pain and upset.  This was a strange situation for me, even for WalMart where weird things happen every day.  She sat quiet as she prepared to speak, and the first thing that went through my head was, "OH NO!  She is going to want me to carry her!"  An image popped into my head of her on one hip and Coren on the other!

"I have have MS, and I cannot walk.  Yesterday I had an IV for two hours, and I should really just be in bed.  If my husband knew I was here he would smack me."  I felt so bad for her, and I really didn't know what to do.  "Could I trouble you to go and get me a cart so that it will hold me as I walk?"  "Yes!"  I said.  "I will be right back."  I took the boys and went to get he a cart.  They were asking me all kinds of questions about what was going on, but I was kind of flustered and in a hurry to get her cart to her so that she didn't fall over or anything.  "Thank you so much.  Your girls...I mean kids...I mean boys...are so cute."  I could tell that she was embarrassed.  "Is there anything else that I can do for you or help you with?"  I asked feeling like I probably should carry her at this point.  "No.  Thank you."  And off she went.

As I walked into the store, my knee kind of hurting at this point, I realized how crazy I am.  I couldn't walk and was in pain because I have been running too much.  It was my choice and my "fun" that caused my injury.  She couldn't walk into WalMart because she had a disease that probably made it hard for her to walk everyday.  I felt pretty bad for the way that I had been acting.  I should be grateful that I can even run a lot when some people would give anything to be able to walk let alone run.  My perspective has changed.  Saturday I felt like I had it BAD, and today I feel like I am very blessed because I can walk, will run again, and do not have to suffer with this pain everyday like some people do.

It is hard to put things into perspective when things seem to be so bad, but I think that if we can stop and really think about the trials other people are going through we will realize that we do not have it so bad after all.