Someone very wise once told me something about two steps forward and one step back: be patient, because some things are worth waiting for. Those words couldn’t be more true as I look back over the last nine years of milestones and misfortune.

Healing isn’t a linear equation. Progress sets its own direction and pace.

Since I know each day will bring its own set of challenges, I know that if I go into that day with a positive attitude and possibly something funny on my mind then I’ll meet those challenges with a smile on my face. A good old friend of mine Tom Keck used to tell me, “Some days it’s chicken, and some days it’s feathers.” and other than always finding that statement hilariously funny, I found this was a good way for me to approach two steps forward and one step back in my recovery. 

Patience is always at the forefront of each day. In my case my neural pathways were interrupted beneath my cerebellum, and reconnecting them is an intricate puzzle that takes lots of time and patience. The takeaways from these types of moments are that I could learn, adjust and reevaluate what happened in stepping forward or back in my progress. Obstacles for me are muscle weakness and lack of proprioception (awareness). In some cases the step back would take time to overcome, but when it would eventually occur, it was a sign that those muscles in question strengthened and the neural pathways between my brain and body improved. Those signs of recovery though infinitesimal were huge wins for me and always keep me full of hope and inspiration as I fight onward toward more improvements.

When setbacks occur it’s easy to feel let down despite your efforts, or discouraged because you’ve now got to regain ground you’ve already acquired. These are times when it’s a blessing to have someone to communicate with and can provide a kind word of encouragement or help you reestablish your focus. This is just a normal part of the healing process, and progress isn’t always easy. When we find ourselves enjoying a steady diet of improvements between plateaus there should equally be a similar measure of vigilance. In other words, being mindful of overconfidence because threats to our safety are never far away.

If you’re mindful, patient, and observant, your path to wellness will require less steps along your journey.

Something else to remember along your path toward recovery is to take occasional breaks and be kind to yourself. Take in the world around you. Simply live and do something fun. For instance, when is the last time you stopped to observe a sunrise or a sunset? Not just the position of the sun, but the colors of the fading sunshine on the surrounding area. Can you drown out the monkey chatter in your brain and put your cellphone away so nothing distracts you? Once you’re there absorbing the beauty of nature, try closing your eyes and just breathe. This is always a gift to you for all you struggle through each day.

Here’s a recent example of this cliche in action with me. A few months ago I had a bad fall one night in the darkness of the living room while walking to go get a bottle of water that ended with me breaking my coccyx (tailbone) and hyperextending my right knee when I stepped and slipped on an exercise foam roller I wasn’t aware of being in my path. All my efforts and continued progress of improving my movement instantly came to an abrupt halt. Thankfully my injuries were not that major. My neuromuscular massage therapist Jackie put kinesiotape on me to assist in providing stabilization and alleviating the pain and inflammation of the injuries. It was working quite well, but then while in the healing process, I pulled some muscles on both sides of my lower back trying to move something heavy. Another disappointment. The pressure and pain throughout the course of each day were becoming increasingly more unbearable. It was difficult to walk, work, and then rest each night. Just when I thought things were looking up as the weeks passed, the pain unexpectedly intensified so badly that I couldn’t walk and needed to go to the emergency room. After a CAT scan I was told I had a kidney stone. My weeks and months of pain seemed to have no end and they were overwhelmingly difficult, but therapy helped me to let go of my pain and ease my mind. I’m now on the other side of all those setbacks and life couldn’t be better. The sunrise the following morning after therapy was spectacular. I prevailed.

I would really enjoy hearing back from you after talking about healing. How do you take note of your own personal progress and what do you find that helps you through each day?