It’s Tuesday morning and I have just completed a blazing 3.5-mile jog. (I have to tell myself these exaggerations so I will go again.) Completing my stretching on our carport, I open our patio door and step inside. Before I can close the door, CeCe greets me with some bad news.
"I have blown my knee out, and I sent a text to my orthopedic. Can you take me this afternoon?"
"What happened?"
"I was finishing up my class and I was on the last phase where we do some kickboxing. I threw a sidekick, and I heard an immediate loud POP! It’s hurting like crazy and I can’t put any weight on it."
"Oh baby, I’m so sorry." (I’ve learned over the years, this is very important to the rest of the week) Yes, I can take you today. "Is it your knee replacement or your good knee?"
"My good knee and I’m scared I have really torn it up. It’s already swelling."
"Okay, let’s put some ice on it now."
After sitting CeCe down and icing her knee, she remembers what week this is.
"We leave on the Havens beach trip Friday in three days."
"Yep, we do but they may have to do without us this year."
"I’m going on the trip even if I have to take crutches down to the beach. We are not going to disappoint Mom, Pop Joe, Mitzi and all of the kids and grandkids. I can do this. It’s going to be hard but we can make this work."
AND she did! She had a large tear in her lateral meniscus, which required surgery. However, she postponed it until the week after we returned from the beach trip. She literally carried crutches to the beach the first two days, then gradually made it each day by moving very slow and keeping her leg straight. She helped make it fun for everyone and you would not have known she was having surgery a week later. There’s so much we can learn from CeCe and her blown knee.
She immediately thought of our family instead of having a pity party. Her “can do” attitude early on helped convince the doctor (and me) that she could pull this off. He warned her it would be difficult and probably painful on the beach. But I was so proud as I watched her take control of her attitude despite the bad luck. CeCe put her personal needs aside to serve our family, honor our commitments to the kids and demonstrate her love of family.
What opportunities do we have to take control of our attitude in the face of challenges? How can we demonstrate a family-first or team-first commitment? What’s in front of us that we can have the courage to say “I’ve got this” as a “can do” attitude brings an abundance of opportunities. How can we #beEvenBetter and fight the victim mindset that slows us down?