Looking on the bright side

It's easy to look back on the last 7 months and feel a bit sorry for myself. However, that would be too easy. I've never been known to do things the easy way. I have learned to cope and move on. I have learned to see the silver lining in all that has happened, and while I will likely never be the same, I will always reflect on what happened with a sense of appreciation. It made me stronger and gave me such a refreshing perspective on what it means to be healthy and to have all the simple "abilities" that we are given and which can be taken away in the blink of an eye. I may always walk a little funny, and I may deal with pain that feel insurmountable at times, but I will always appreciate the little things like I have never before. The trials and tribulations will always be there, but the ability to deal and move on will always prevail. I have had the opportunity to be humbled once again and I won't forget the lessons learned. How could I? I wake up every morning with that gentle reminder...pain. Every step I take is a step that I earned and that I appreciate now more than ever. Another good thing to come from all of this is the fact that it brought me even closer to my family. My wife and kids went through hell because of this too. I would like to think that they too took something positive from all of this, but that would be for them to say.

Roping up and climbing again is something that hasn't come easy. Every time I tie into that rope I think "what if". Those what ifs keep me safe. They make me double check my knot, my harness, my gear, and my mental awareness. All things critical to coming back home safe. The longer you climb, the more comfortable you become. The more comfortable you become, the easier it is to overlook something that could come back to haunt you in a very real way. So - if nothing else I have gained a little more insight that will hopefully keep me safer on the next climb. I sure appreciate the fact that I have a second ( or third or fourth depending on how you look at it) chance to pursue something that has defined me for the past 12+ years. I had my doubts but I think my inability to do things the easy way, or to just quit, have served me well. All in all I think that luck and the hard work of my doctors and therapists has contributed as well. I am hopeful that things will just keep getting better. I am confident that I will do all that I can to prevent myself from going through another injury this severe. Any activity ( notice I didn't call it a sport - it's a way of life ) has risk involved. Injuries happen. Now I believe that it is how you face those injuries that define you as well as whether it is just a sport...or a way of life. We all have choices and my choice is to learn from my mistake, move forward ( and up), and find the positive instead of dwelling on the negative.

Fortitudine Vincimus - By endurance we conquer.