How Patience Taught Me Gratitude

Patience is not my virtue and I had to learn that the hard way. Learning to become more patient has not only made me stronger but it has also helped me reflect on things I previously took for granted. Patience has taught me to be more grateful.

About 10 weeks ago, I pulled my calf muscle. It was just a few weeks before my sister's wedding and I had overloaded myself. I was burning the candle on both ends with early morning and late night workouts, working my full-time job, teaching yoga on the side, and helping out my family with wedding prep. Although I had great intentions of eating healthy, drinking enough water, and getting 7-8 hours of sleep each night, if I'm honest with you, I was probably batting an average of 1 out of 3 depending on the day. I was unbalanced and my body had something to say about it.

When I first pulled my calf, I kept "powering through." I've never really had a sports related injury so when I pulled my calf, I didn't want to slow down. I didn't want to slow down and taking some time off to rest my calf didn't even cross my mind. I thought if I ignored the pain, it would just go away.

Fast forward to my sister's wedding, about 8 weeks ago. I was dancing at one of the pre-wedding events when I heard a loud pop. Next thing I knew, I couldn't walk and the pain that I had been able to ignore before had come back with a roaring vengeance that could no longer be ignored.

After "soldiering through" the wedding and likely continuing to exacerbate my injury, the pain dictated that I had to take a break. Even though I'm someone who rarely goes to the doctor, I made myself an appointment because the thought of not being able to work out or to do yoga was and still is one of my biggest fears.

Luckily, the doctor was able to confirm, that while I had a bad strain, my tendons had not been impacted. I was so relieved. He did, however, tell me that I needed to rest and that I should give it a couple weeks before trying to return to more stressful forms of physical activity.

That period of "rest" was excruciatingly difficult for me and it was how I learned that patience is not my virtue, especially when it comes to physical activity. While I'm not an elite athlete, movement whether through spin class, yoga, or a HIIT class, is how I find balance in my life. Movement keeps me grounded and helps me ensure that I'm taking time for myself outside of my daily obligations.

Having my favorite forms of movement taken away from me and having to be patient with my body during my recovery period forced me to realize how incredibly lucky I am to have an able body. Basic movements such as walking without pain, moving into downward facing dog, and sweaty spin sessions were out of reach and the fear of not getting them back forced me to take the break the doctor prescribed.

While I'm just getting back to the gym and the studio now, my time away has helped me look at my life and my able body differently. Not only have I had to learn to be more patient with my body, I now look at basic movement differently. The basic movements that I took for granted are now gifts that I will always cherish. I am truly grateful for my able mind and able body and hope that others take the time to reflect and say thanks for their ability to move with ease and to partake in the physical activities that they love.

Next time you step on your mat, take a moment to give thanks for the movement that is available to you. I know I will.