The present is the only moment that you can be assured of. There are no guarantees that the opportunities that you have today will still be there tomorrow. “Now” is the only time to do something that will make a difference. It does not matter how much effort it took in the past and you don’t know whether you will have the ability or the opportunity to do the work in the future.
If you really want to make something happen you must put-forth some action to bring your desires into fruition. After my illness, I wanted to walk again but simply wishing that I would walk again was not enough. I had to use every bit of energy within me just to begin to lift one leg off the floor. It was draining both physically and emotionally. Yet I knew that if I was ever going to walk again, only I could do the work. Others could support me and provide me with encouragement but only I could endure the painful and demanding rehabilitation to make walking a possibility.
I had two options. One was to at least try to do everything I could to regain my physical abilities and independence. Or I could give up. The option to give up would always be there, but the opportunity to avoid permanent disability was in the “now”. Yes, I was risking inner disappointment by putting all my effort into rehabilitating a body that may have been too damaged to heal. However, I would never be certain what could have been possible had I not put everything I had into my own recovery. The progress was slow and uncertain, but I was making progress. Gradually I made my way from paralysis, to taking steps with the aid of parallel bars, to standing unsupported. I soon realized that I was no longer trying to walk, I was actually walking!
The brain infection also resulted in the production of intention tremors in my dominant hand. I was experiencing difficulty with my right hand when trying to perform tasks that required fine motor skills. So, in order to acquire the dexterity and precision needed, I had to train myself to be left-hand dominant. I spent many hours each day tracing letters and manipulating tiny objects with my left hand. My frustration was replaced with amusement when I realized that my 4 year old niece and I were completing the same letter tracings for homework.
It has been seven years, and I now spend most of the day standing while working with patients and rely on both my hands to deliver the appropriate treatment. To overcome any obstacle it is so important to be willing to do the work necessary to move beyond “wanting” and “trying” to actually “doing”.
“The difference between try and triumph is a little “umph”. – Author unknown
Copyright Dr. Julie Doobay 2011
