It's been exactly 3 weeks since I broke my leg & ankle...
... And yeah - that's all I can think of to write. The phrase above has just been hanging with me for the past 24 hours. Because the only answer I can think of to that phrase is "so what." What is 3 weeks anyway? And what does 3 more weeks really mean?
It's certainly puzzling, sweet and yet completely hilarious how human beings grasp on to man-made time. It is the measurement of our lives. Birthdays and holidays, our careers (I'd like my yearly review, or my annual raise), relationships (well, we've been dating for 6 months shouldn't we be doing this or that?) - and in my particular case, medical care.
I should be able to start putting weight on my leg in in 3 more weeks. In fact, I'm counting down the days to when I can begin walking again. But there is something completely laughable about crossing the days off. Now, please hear me, I'm not saying that having a goal and working through that each day is not helpful, on the contrary, I'm a huge advocate of goal-setting, lists and calendars.
My argument is that the Body doesn't give a damn about man-made time. My tibia, fibula & ankle aren't going to bed every night, counting down the days with their respective red sharpies. They are trying to regenerate! To rebuild from the cells up - grow around screws and rods, they are trying to link ligaments, strengthen muscles and connect tissues. Of course, I see changes already - increased range of motion and reduced swelling and the inevitable colorful rainbow of bruising. And all the while, my impatient ass still just wants to go on a jog!
I am experiencing first hand that the Body is ultimately beyond man-made time. Of course, we know it to have a finite amount of years - but that's just it, humans conceived of the measurements, "years". The Body itself knows nothing of those measurements. Age truly is arbitrary. And since the Body's cells are constantly breaking down and rebuilding with every breath, as human beings we are subject to this constant change and the Body's own timeline.
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