It’s 24 hours after I wrote this. I ran into time-crunch issues and didn’t get it posted. I have since had good news: I will very likely not require surgery for the knee injury this posting is about, and in a month I should be pretty close to back to my old self. But I feel this is still an interesting snapshot on the state of mind I had before I got that verdict, so here you go.
An injury is the last thing I thought I’d be dealing with as the self-designated deadline for my travels enters the seven-month countdown. Tick-tock.
The fact is, I’m not your fit super-hip world traveller you’d normally see attempting this feat. I’m overweight, I’ve had a ton of injuries over the years, and I’m staring down age 42 as I start my trip. These are not exactly advantages, but I’m for damned sure not letting it count me out.
I think every injury or accident is a learning lesson though. About what we’re made of, what we’ll do for success. All kinds of things. I fail some of these tests, I pass others. I’m not acing life over here. I make all kinds of mistakes but I learn a lot too.
Right now, I’m still in the disheartened early days of this injury and I’ve yet to have a real idea of what I face. Am I out of the game for six weeks? What else can I do? When?
These questions currently have no answers. I’m three days in and there’s no clear picture. The suspense is eating me up.
Spiral staircase and lantern at the Queen’s House in Greenwich, by McGinnly and shared from Wikipedia.
Knowing the Battles
In my head, I’m seeing the rickety old steps on twisty old-town streets in Europe, kicking off in just seven months. I’m imaging endless old lodgings located on second, fourth, sixth floors of true heritage buildings erected long before electric elevators were a thing. I’m thinking of long airport walks, standing on trains, and everything else someone needs decent legs for when seeing the world.
You’re damned right it’s disheartening.
But I’ve overcome these thingsbefore. If surgery is not needed, I know I can do this. I may not have the svelte figure others are packing, but I have the determination.
Oh, look. More stairs. An alley in Le Mans, France, by Simon Koopman, aka Simonizer, for Wikipedia.
Stopping the Sameness
I sometimes find myself wondering if we’re victims of routine. It’s not sitting that’s killing us, it’s sameness. Is that possible?
It’s the same desk, the same posture, the same sofa, the same walk. Doing the same things every single day, and the repetition of it. Are our bodies just getting bored and beaten into repetitive submission?
Maybe variety of place, variety of posture, variety of schedule is how to overcome that. Maybe we were never meant to be standing still and attempting the same feeble thing day after day. Maybe we’re going against human nature.
After all, nearly every injury I’ve had has come as a result of cumulative damage, not usually single-event scenarios.
I don’t know. It’s worth testing.
Photo by Parks Canada.
Switching Gears
Another thing I can do is alter my plan, right? There’s a whole planet out there for me to visit and some of it is made for rest and recuperation. Like maybe a beach shack in Bali where massages cost less than my deductible for one here.
I guess that’s the great thing about planning to travel the world is that if one area doesn’t work out for whatever I’m processing at that time, as long as I can afford the flights or trains, I have other options better suited to my limitations or moods.
But there’s another thing about a situation like this. It really, really ups the satisfaction and gratitude I have when I get to the other side and I know it’s just another thing I’ve overcome on the road to what I want. Of course it’s never as easy as that. For now, I wait word on what to expect. Two weeks? Four? Longer? Surgery? Tough rehab? What? It’s my fifth injury on this knee in a decade, so I have no idea what news is to come.
Today’s the day I learn a bit more, with a physio appointment in store, and x-rays looming.
Meanwhile, there’s the mental side of the battle. I need to believe I got this, while also understanding that Bali wouldn’t be a terrible inconvenience to me either. You know, if a “Plan B” is needed, that is.
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