Most of us can point to times in our lives where extreme emotional, psychological or physical pain hit us. We don’t escape painful situations in life. They’re different for all of us.
We lose parents, friends, siblings, perhaps children. A traumatic car accident could injure you, or you or a loved one comes down with a major disease at an age where no deserves to deal with something like that.
We learn to adapt to the situation, honing our coping techniques. Going through life, most of us figure out these major issues and start to come to an understanding we all must deal with hurt.
But there are also incidents that you never consider which also cause you great sadness. I’ve told the story to friends about the two most depressing days in my life – situations that I never expected to encounter because you don’t know you’ll face it until you get there. They may sound trivial to the reader, but they should resonate with you as well. You probably have something similar when you look back on your life.
My first was giving up playing basketball. I loved playing – the release of energy, the sky high feeling from sprinting up and down the court, the joy of being a good teammate, executing a special play. There is no other sport I’ve gotten that type of high from in terms of that pumped up feeling.
Letting go of the round ball occurred at age 46. Two foot injuries occurred and it took three months of rehab for me to feel decent again. I thought about that, and said, “Something worse is going to happen next. Better give it up.” It would not surprise if I dealt some mild depression for a long time afterwards until I reached a stage where basketball was in my past and something not quite as good would take its place. Coping took time.
My second, and you’ll probably chuckle at this, was my last annual physical. For the first time since I was 21, I measured under six feet tall. Now that may sound amusing. But for some reason it was nice to reach 6’1”at my peak height before the shrinking stage of life started.
Over the past 5 years or so, my height steadily declined. But I took pride in still being over six feet. Now, no more. I’ve shrunk.
Whether odd or silly that this body change struck me in a depressing way doesn’t matter. The reality is that it deeply saddened me. You kind of think you’re going to be a certain height and all of a sudden you’re not and it makes you re-examine priorities in life.
I’m about a tenth of an inch under six feet now in my bare feet. If I did a few more pull-ups or had my spine decompressed, perhaps I could gain just enough back to crest the six foot tall barrier again.
But no, that’s not going to happen, because it’s best to address reality and adjust to what’s next. Look ahead. What’s the next best thing I can be doing with my time – serving others, growing and developing, honing some talent or skill.
We’ll see what the future holds for the 5’11” and three-quarters+ inch man. Maybe I’ll ask for shoe inserts for my next birthday.
We lose parents, friends, siblings, perhaps children. A traumatic car accident could injure you, or you or a loved one comes down with a major disease at an age where no deserves to deal with something like that.
We learn to adapt to the situation, honing our coping techniques. Going through life, most of us figure out these major issues and start to come to an understanding we all must deal with hurt.
But there are also incidents that you never consider which also cause you great sadness. I’ve told the story to friends about the two most depressing days in my life – situations that I never expected to encounter because you don’t know you’ll face it until you get there. They may sound trivial to the reader, but they should resonate with you as well. You probably have something similar when you look back on your life.
My first was giving up playing basketball. I loved playing – the release of energy, the sky high feeling from sprinting up and down the court, the joy of being a good teammate, executing a special play. There is no other sport I’ve gotten that type of high from in terms of that pumped up feeling.
Letting go of the round ball occurred at age 46. Two foot injuries occurred and it took three months of rehab for me to feel decent again. I thought about that, and said, “Something worse is going to happen next. Better give it up.” It would not surprise if I dealt some mild depression for a long time afterwards until I reached a stage where basketball was in my past and something not quite as good would take its place. Coping took time.
My second, and you’ll probably chuckle at this, was my last annual physical. For the first time since I was 21, I measured under six feet tall. Now that may sound amusing. But for some reason it was nice to reach 6’1”at my peak height before the shrinking stage of life started.
Over the past 5 years or so, my height steadily declined. But I took pride in still being over six feet. Now, no more. I’ve shrunk.
Whether odd or silly that this body change struck me in a depressing way doesn’t matter. The reality is that it deeply saddened me. You kind of think you’re going to be a certain height and all of a sudden you’re not and it makes you re-examine priorities in life.
I’m about a tenth of an inch under six feet now in my bare feet. If I did a few more pull-ups or had my spine decompressed, perhaps I could gain just enough back to crest the six foot tall barrier again.
But no, that’s not going to happen, because it’s best to address reality and adjust to what’s next. Look ahead. What’s the next best thing I can be doing with my time – serving others, growing and developing, honing some talent or skill.
We’ll see what the future holds for the 5’11” and three-quarters+ inch man. Maybe I’ll ask for shoe inserts for my next birthday.
