One step at a time

The other night when I was at Principal Park, by instinct I took the stairs up to the press box instead of taking the elevator. As someone who is always looking for exercise, it's become habit to me to climb stairs.

After winding up several flights of the stairs, I remembered something. I was still recovering from an abdominal hysterectomy.

Because I felt so good and didn't feel any pain in my incision, for several minutes I totally forgot about my surgery.

However, my pace going up the stairs slowed down considerably the closer I got to the press box. I realized that I hadn't walked up this many steps since I left Rosenblatt Stadium -- two days before my surgery.

And suddenly, as I kept walking up the stairs slower and slower, I felt as if I had hit the wall.

If the guy walking ahead of me hadn't been holding the door for me at the top of the stairs, I probably would have stopped for a rest or two.

Walking up the Principal Park stairs is a microcosm for my recovery right now. I’m doing well and continue to feel the healing process. I’m very thankful I had the surgery.

Because the pain has subsided considerably and I feel so good, sometimes I forget that I’ve had surgery and tend to overdo it.

But then I am reminded that I overdid it the next day when I’m extremely tired. So I’m learning to slow things down and appreciate the small baby steps in this recovery journey.

In June my friend Cindy introduced me to The Great Banquet concept during this year's College World Series. When I expressed interest, she invited me to go to the four-day retreat at her Indianapolis church.

I signed up, even though I knew it would be five weeks after my surgery. After all, how could God not want me to go to a retreat to learn more about Him? I have been looking forward to going to Indianapolis for weeks.

However, reality sunk in quickly last Saturday. I had just been driving for little more than a week. The furthest I had driven was round trip from my parents' home in Waukee to downtown Des Moines (approximately 25 miles.)

And I thought I could drive 500 miles to Indianapolis alone? Even though I was planning to break the drive up into two days, I knew I wasn't ready.

And sitting for long periods of time even wears me down. So I knew I would be exhausted if I tried to sit through a four-day retreat.

I knew in my heart cancelling my trip to Indianapolis was what I needed to do, but not necessarily what I wanted to do. But the lesson I needed to learn at this time didn't involve any long-distance travel -- other than up several flights of stairs at Principal Park.

Dana, my dental hygienist and friend, told me when she saw me Monday that I didn't look as if I had had surgery. I told her that was probably the hardest part for me right now.

I don't look like I'm recovering from major surgery. And a lot of times I don't feel like I'm recovering from major surgery. But truth of the matter is, I AM still recovering from major surgery.

I don't feel 100 percent yet. But I'll get there ... just one step at a time.

SIDE NOTE:
As I mentioned, I had my six-month dental check-up Monday. The male dentist I normally see was out sick, so I saw another dentist in the practice, who is female. I shared with her my experience with the male eye doctor jerking my chair around, even after I told him about my surgery.

I asked that she take it easy on me with the chair movement. She could relate in more ways than one. She said she had a hysterectomy 10 years ago. And she agreed. Men just don't fully understand the pain.