Many of you know that I have been undergoing the joys of physical therapy for the past few months as a result of my “football injury” from November of 2019. I was recently informed by the physical therapist (Kristen Searcy, whom I highly recommend, by the way) that my progress is at a point that I can “graduate” and simply do my exercises at home, without weekly visits to her office. This means I will have to do a better job with self discipline and dedicating time to doing the needed exercises and not depending on physical therapy visits for a “workout.”
During one of my recent physical therapy workouts, I had one of those moments when something strikes home. I was doing an exercise where I was side stepping with an elastic band around both feet. As I went through these motions, I noticed words on the wall in front of me that I had seen many times before. I realized that as I stood close to the words, I didn't see the full phrase or catch its meaning. It was only when I could take a step back and see the phrase in its entirety that I could make out the words, “You are Awesome.” How often do we face that exact same sort of thing in the frequent difficulties and challenges that come our way? When we are in the midst of a struggle, it can be difficult to see the message in front of us. It's only when we have an opportunity to take a step back that we see the full words, “You are Awesome,” or perhaps, “This is for your greater good,” maybe the message you need to see is “There's something better ahead,” or “The difficulty is only temporary.” Maybe what you need is “You are not going through this alone.” Then there is the message on the door as you leave the office and perhaps my favorite, “But did you die?”
No matter what “message” is right in front of you, I hope you take the chance to step back for a moment and try to see it in its entirety. Perhaps it will be clear, on the “Sunny Side.”