Earlier today, I was desperate for a visit from my Fairy Godmother. Track practice this morning had left me with an injured hip and an inability to walk, run or even move without sharp, shooting pains. I spent all afternoon wondering when it would heal and looking for an answer for an immediate fix. Being impatient by nature, I wanted to know exactly how long I would be hurt and how soon I could run again. I do not like interruptions to my workout routine and training schedule, and I think that this unexpected injury is exactly the lesson on patience I need.
How often do you wish that you could just know what tomorrow, next month or next year will bring? We all think about it, but only some of us choose to embrace this unpredictability of life. Today, after a few hours of uncomfortable anxiety about my sudden inabilty to control my workouts or body, I realized that this “unknown” element of tomorrow’s unpredictability is EXACTLY what makes life so very fun.
If you are anxious about something that is truly beyond your control, let it go. Let it go and enjoy the roller-coaster ride of the unknown. Stop trying to micro-manage your entire world because we just aren’t meant to, and moreover, stressing about something that you can’t control wastes minutes, hours and days of your life.
For me this week, it’s going to mean listening to my injured body and modifying my workouts. It means no more running this week, taking the time to ice, heat and stretch as needed, and most importantly, it means letting go of the anxiety about whether or not this injury will affect my big race next month in Clearwater, Florida.
Today, since I never got the quick-fix response from my Fairy Godmother that I wanted, I realized that I just don’t need her. Instead, I just need to be confident that all will work out how it should, and in the meantime, focus on enjoying the ride of life along the way.