In a world, in a culture, filled with multiple avenues of going here or doing things, it is often hard to stay focused. On November 11th of last year, I had knee replacement surgery. The doctor had “bought me” ten more years before surgery was an absolute essential. I was 62 at the time of the first diagnosis and he felt I was too young and too active to do the surgery back then. His belief was that he could by me some time before having the surgery. 3 steroid injections, one hyaluronic acid shot, and 10 years gave me the time I needed. When the last shot lasted one month and I had trouble walking from the hospital doors to my vehicle at times, I went to him and said, “It is time.” He agreed. The surgery was a bit more extensive than he planned due to my bowed leg. He shaved the shin bone, moved some ligaments and tendons around and gave me a new knee all at the same time. Then came the rehab which seemed to go pretty well in some respects but his desire to have the back of my knee to be totally flat on the table is still not a reality. I am down to about 2% but not quite there. I’m still doing rehab at the Y on my own, doing the exercises they prescribed.
I won’t lie: it is sometimes discouraging when I know what I want and where I should be but can’t seem to get there. I mean, I am happy I can walk pain-free for the first time in years. The problem is that I want it all now. And when I say, “Now” I mean “NOW!!!” But what I need to keep in mind is the end goal. He told Tami after my surgery that I will feel absolutely fantastic in 6 months. Hmmm. That leaves me 2 more months of rehab and some discomfort as my “restored” knee adjusts to my lifestyle. I want to rush things along.
But I can’t. I have to take it one day, one exercise, one rehab session at the Y at a time. I have to stay focused on the immediate work with the future goal in mind. Proverbs 4:25-27 says, “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.” (NLT) Of course, wanting to be further along is not evil (except when it plays with my mind). 🙂
But the warning to stay on the straight path is something we all should heed. Fix your eyes on what lies before you. Don’t look left or right. And most definitely, don’t look behind you.
