Overcoming Challenges
Challenges, we all have them. It’s the event or circumstance we feel is impossible or too difficult to overcome or will swallow us. We feel the challenge is too big to tackle… we don’t have enough strength or courage to move past it. The challenge dares us to think and feel and move. It tests our abilities and strength. Every challenge is different and we all react different to each challenge. For some people, the challenge is forgiving someone or realizing a dream or starting a new business or overcoming an illness or disease.
My recent challenge was recovering from surgery. I am not going to lie the recovery was hard. The last surgery before this recent one was 2 years ago… I forgot what it was like to spend the night in the hospital and to have restrictions. I am always up for a challenge… it is the fighting spirit inside me. But, even though I was up for the challenge it was still difficult.
The challenge I faced arose from new stitches and new surgery cuts and from drains inserted inside my breasts to collect tissue and blood. I am not going to paint a pretty image…this is reality. The last time I had drains was 4 years ago from my mastectomy surgery. At that point in my time my body was so numb from the mastectomy surgery I could not feel anything… not even the drains wrapped inside. But this time around, oh boy, I could feel them. I could not change the fact they were there. I had to find a way to deal with the pain and the discomfort. At one point (after many nights of lack of sleep), I just laid in bed and cried. That was my lowest point. There was nothing anyone (including myself) could do to comfort me. I had to find the strength and the courage to keep moving forward. I had to rely on my faith and God to heal me and to take away my pain. I had to remind myself this was only temporary and in a few days it would all be over. When someone says, “dig deep”, that is just what I had to do. And then it was over. The drains were removed, the stitches were removed, my skin had healed from the cuts. Today, I feel better.
The challenge from the surgery only made me stronger. I grew from the challenge. I learned from the challenge. I am a better person today because I faced the challenge. Don’t turn and run away and do not give up. Learn to rise above, to keep moving forward. Find your inner strength and courage. Find your faith. After you overcome the challenge, you can look back at what you achieved and feel pride.