I had foot surgery recently because I was born with an extra bone near my instep. My Dad always said it was the seat of my magical powers…
But unfortunately that little guy started causing lots of problems, so it had to go!
While I’m feeling more grounded now, I was out of sorts there for a while.
My Dad came in from Michigan for the procedure, and he and my husband were incredible.
Our dog Robbie was extra attentive and cuddly and I was getting pampered with breakfast in bed (and sometimes lunch..and dinner too.)
During those first few days (while in my pajamas and munching on goldfish crackers), I had all of kinds of ideas of how I’d get the most out of the 8-12 weeks with no weight-bearing and no driving.
I feel like I had to get all sorts of things done…
I was going to teach our dogs all kinds of ways they could help around the house while I was on crutches.
I was going to find chair workouts on YouTube and get some seriously sculpted arms.
I was going to tap into my creative side and do ALL kinds of crafts.
But then my Dad headed back to Ann Arbor, my husband had to get back to work...
And it turns out things feel a lottttt different when you aren’t sleeping off grogginess all day and being brought comfort food on cute trays by loving family during the small windows when you’re awake.
I gave up on teaching my dogs how to retrieve things from the refrigerator.
I did one exercise video but stopped there.
I had ZERO desire to pick up a colored marker.
But I felt like I should be doing so much more
I just felt...bad.
And then, I remembered my old friend, the Formula for Change 🙂
The formula states that until there’s enough dissatisfaction (the gap between where you are and where you want to be), you won’t be able to tip the scales and make the changes you want.
And I realized that while I was definitely dissatisfied with not being able to walk or drive...
I wasn’t actually that dissatisfied with wearing pjs all day, eating lots of Lucky Charms and discovering shows that I’m pretty sure everyone else finished binge-watching years ago.
I stopped putting so much pressure on myself to tip those change scales so much or so quickly
I let myself just be in that not-yet-dissatisfied-enough place, with the confidence that the gap between where I was and where I wanted to be would get to a point where I was ready to make some more changes.
But I didn’t have to rush it.
And a few days ago, I could feel the scales start to tip.
I’m still laughing out loud to episode after episode of Schitt’s Creek, and I’m still noshing on comfort food (although I’ve swapped the Lucky Charms for chicken soup), but I’m beginning to feel more like myself again.
Whether you’re feeling super dissatisfied or you’re being more patient with yourself and the changes you want to make in your life, I feel you
And if you want to talk through it together, just hit me up. There's a free Sounding Board session with your name on it.
Sending Visionary vibes your way,
Lois
