#9 + 72 HOURS

So three days post surgery and the pain is starting to lessen a little bit. Physical therapy started yesterday, with just some stretching and controlled range of motion. Today, however, I get to see Rick. Or as I affectionately call him "The Physical Therapy Nazi!!" Rick did my therapy on both my bicep tendon repair surgeries so we have a long and storied history together already. It seems no matter what therapist or PTA they have all managed to find my limits and push me slightly past them.
Which I absolutely love... just not while they're doing it.
One of my many squad leader father figures in the Army would say this, "Someday this pain will be useful. But that day is not today." I have always loved that phrase.  I've said it to myself and others on hundreds of occasions. Each one as true as the next or the last. The pain is manageable, it is tolerable. And I believe with all my heart it is necessary for us to understand that there's a price for everything and that nothing worth having is ever painless. I am excited to get back to training and rolling and all the things I love. I am also enjoying the process of getting there. It will make it all the more satisfying when I load that first bar, or tie my beautiful black belt around my waist again, or pull my ACR skateboard off the wall and head to the park. It is all valuable. When you're down you're not out. It is a time to refocus, regroup, and rededicate yourself to your passions.
That is all.