I tore my ACL and I can’t walk! I may need surgery!

How is this a good thing?!?

I don’t write much in here about what’s happening in my life. I prefer to write about ways that you,  dear reader,  can bring more presence into your life.  This week,  however,  I will get personal.

Two days ago, I made a wrong move and within a couple of hours my knee was the size of a grapefruit…a BIG grapefruit. I couldn’t put any weight on my leg. I couldn’t bend nor straighten it either. And the pain was excruciating.

And it turbocharged my presence.

All of a sudden, I had to pay really,  really close attention to every little move I made.

I had to completely disable the AUTOPILOT.

Every step became a potential trap risking more pain. Sitting had to be adjusted. Standing had to be adjusted. Stairs became almost impossible. 

Mindlessness was not an option!

I share this because I learned something: when you HAVE TO  be super mindful,  you CAN be.

I’ve been more mindful,  more present these last two days than I have since my last extended retreat. And it’s almost effortless.  It’s as if my entire body-mind and brain is working harmoniously to keep me super mindful from moment to moment. All to avoid pain.

I’m intrigued by this.  How can we bring this level of easy mindful presence into our lives without sustaining a serious injury? I’m going to reflect on that.

Please don’t go out and seek an injury as a way of incredibly boosting your presence! But ask yourself if you could be,  say 5% more mindful today.

What if it COULD be easy? Would you do it? These are interesting questions.

My take away  (other than “I better see a doctor about this”) is “if mindfulness can be this easy when I’m injured, could it also be this easy in other ways?”

I’ll report back once I’ve healed a bit. In the meantime,  be careful! It doesn’t take much to mess up your entire routine.