One Leg at a Time

"Reflect on a time when you received care – the other cared for you. How did you know you were cared for?

The night was young and it sure started off well. I knew it would be a great night, one filled with food, friends and a bit of music. What I didn't know was how it would end one leg at a time.....

Before heading out to a local night club, I enjoyed a dinner with my friends at the local Cactus Club. I had my regular at the time, steak, asparagus and mashed potatoes. I was accustomed to a large meal at the time given my workout routine was largely based on heavy weight training. I was body building at the time and my calorie intakes was incredibly large. I'll move on with the story...

After a great dinner, lots of laughs and some desert, we proceeded to a local night club where we enjoyed the remainder of the night. At closing, myself and two friends proceeded home. My friend who was driving did not live in the area and was not familiar with the roads and construction at the time. All I remember was looking through the side window while having a convo with my passenger mate and turning my head to the front to make some eye contact and there it was, a big median that our car was very quickly approaching. By the time I could yell watch out, Our car had flipped twice and I was upside down in the vehicle strapped to my seat. I remember the electrical smoke smell and I remembered the majority of the windows smashed. My friend had hit the median which was wrongly placed on a turn in a construction area which was very poorly lit. 

As I crawled out of the car and made sure my friends were ok, we sat on the side of the car in complete shock. As I was being assessed at the hospital, I was given an X Ray scan which detected I had a broken Fibula. Lots of things went through my head, particularly my inability to get in my workouts and enjoy my high calorie diet. I know, I know, those are very minor things to be worrying about. 

Now on to the care. Growing up I was pampered by my mom and given a type of care I can never repay my mom for. Hot meals, cleaning my room the odd time, dropping me off at practice and the list goes on. This accident was an eye opener to me. Prior to my accident, I had always received "good" meals from my mom and I ate them with very little thought. My mom was generally the sole cooker in the household of 5 which consisted of my mother, father, older sister, myself and brother. I definition of a "good meal" was one of which consisted of meat with rice or a potato. I really wasn't picky and my mom seemed to think this was an easy dietary meal she could make for me on a regular basis. After the accident, my main concern was losing the physique which I had worked so hard for. I quickly researched alternative meals which would suit my halted exercise regiment. It would include smaller meals, less calories and a variety of taste bud choice. Yes you guessed right, I had to cut back on my meats, carbs and overall indulging in my beloved foods. Starting immediately I made quick demands that my mom keep up with my new meal plan. 

Prior to this I could say I really never gave much thought to my mother always doing things for me. Yeah I appreciated it, but not like I should have. I never really got to sit there and really just put things into perspective and see how much care and attention was given to me when it came to my health and well being. She contributed to the most important thing in a healthy lifestyle which I feel is diet. I was always accustomed to her cooking the meals, providing me with warm lunches and prepping meals for me that I never saw the full value in the amount of work that was associated with it. Most of you reader probably hate me by now but I'm telling you, this was completely normal in my world.  

As she started the new dietary meal plan, I was actually home to notice all the work that was behind my meal prep. Yes I was no longer at work, at the gym, in class or with my friends, I was on the couch in a cast laying around finding myself useless. As the days passed and my frustrations grew with being unable to do regular day things, I came to realize how my Mom not once showed any frustrations on the "change". I was always cared for, it was normal to me, I almost expected it. But this time it was different, it was very different because I was there to experience it and I was there to see how much my mom did for not only me, but the others in the house house. From working part time, to spending time with me on the couch, taking me to the library, class and prepping my meals, my mom never once let down and always was around to show care for me. I know, some may think, what else would a mother do but really she did above and beyond and I was quickly realizing and appreciating it. 

I have received care my whole life. From my mom, sister, father, grandparents etc but really the type of care that my mom has done for me and continues to do for me will never go unnoticed again. How I knew I was being cared for was the fact I learned to appreciate it and see it. It took me to be forced to sit home and see things first hand to really understand them. I never gave thought to this prior, and if I did it wasn't enough thought to appreciate it. I felt it simply, and it just clicked. It was a self realization moment when I knew my basic needs were being met, then exceeded and then topped off with unconditional love.I went on a bit of a rant and stated some of the obvious but when I was cared for during a time of need was the waking point. Its been there my entire life. 

Thank you my lovely mother.