Just Keep Swimming!

Some days are long, the pain is intense and distraction is hard to find. Today was one such day. The morphine tabs didn’t kick in on either dose and work is overwhelming. Waking up, I wondered quite how I was going to do it all…

…then mom arrived with breakfast
…then it was shower time
…off to biokinetics appointment, laughter ran throughout and coffee after, and I realised I’d made it to midday.

Taking each element of the day and breaking it down into that hour, minute and second made it do-able and having people that care about me and work that absorbed me kept my mind off the pain.

In my reflection this evening, I realised Dory’s wise words of just keep swimming was more than just a suggestion to keep going but also going through each motion. In order to keep swimming you have to keep paddling, keep moving, one leg kick and arm movement at a time.

My other favourite sayings for days like these include:

‘You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me” – Psalm 139:5

“Be still my soul, wait patiently upon The Lord” – lyrics from Kari Jobe

‘Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love’ – Brene Brown

‘The body heals with play,
The mind heals with laughter,
And the spirit heals with joy’ – unknown

‘If God brings you to it, He’ll bring you through it’ – unknown

“A good laugh and a long sleep are two of the best cures for anything” – Irish Proverb

‘Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise’ – Victor Hugo

“A ship is safe in harbour, but that’s not what ships are for.” – William Shedd

“But there was no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bore witness that a man had the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer.” -Victor E. Frankl

“We may be momentarily knocked off our feet, but we will pick ourselves up. We will keep going. We will finish the race.” —President Obama