Gratitude and a Stubbed Toe

I broke my body and it all started by stubbing my toe.

Rewind two years ago when I was walking into my bedroom with a new bed that took up a bit more space than I was used to and BAM! Sweet little innocent ring and pinky toe took the worst of it. You know what they do for broken toes? Nothing. Nada. Tell you to stay off of it. No thank you. I'd like to suffer through the pain. And suffer I did.

6 months later I was down and out for a surgery and finally the toes had the time to heal properly (albeit a little crooked).

Fast forward. Same room. Same bed. Same flipping toes. BAM! I reeled back in order to avoid breakage and quickly fell forward onto the bed grasping my foot in agony. No! Did I break them again?? It felt different. It felt as if I had separated the space between the bones in my feet - stretched them a little too far. I spent the rest of the day babying my foot and when I went to bed had to wrap it because of the discomfort.

When morning came, I woke and got out of bed as usual and headed toward the bathroom with a little tenderness in said foot. I hadn't slept well and wow - it showed. I went to sit on the toilet and immediately felt the most excruciating pain in my neck??? It was as if my head was too heavy for my neck to hold up and I shot my hands up to hold it as if it was going to fall off. I called to my husband who ran to help me back to bed - screaming in agony as he braced my head to lay me down. He brought me ibuprofen and a heated blanket - I couldn't lift my head to take the pills or move to place the heating pad. My husband went into action taking care of kids, getting them off to school, and rearranging his schedule to take care of me and when he had a moment shot a text to a chiropractor friend to tell him the situation. Thankfully, our friend had time in his schedule to see me later that day.

Enter the chiropractor. After an hour and a half of X-rays, E-stimulation, Ozone shots, and adjustments - he essentially told me it all started with stubbing my toe - aka - you're getting old, how rude (he didn't actually say that - it's just there for entertaining story telling purposes). Back to it - OK, I digress - the stubbed toe didn't start it - the toe was the straw that broke the camels back (or neck in my case).

Being a fitness instructor of a high impact format I thought my demise would come from a burpee or a tuck jump - but instead - it was a stubbed toe!

Our chiropractor friend told me that (this isn't his scientific explanation - but close enough) after years of impact on my spine which is surrounded by many nerves things start to move out of place and one little movement can be the one that triggers those nerves to say - NO MORE - and for me, stubbing my toe and a restless nights sleep was my body's trigger.

So here I sit, very stiff and with pain in my neck and find myself overwhelmed with gratitude for a body that has blessed me with so many years of movement. We take that simplicity for granted! Walking up the stairs, reaching items in our cupboards, (sitting on the toilet and wiping bums - I know - I know), the list goes on and on. No matter what frustrates you about your body (we ALL have those frustrations no matter our size/situation) - be grateful for the simple and everyday movement you CAN create. Be proud of yourself for the things you CAN do because you never know when it will scream at you NOOO, not today - today ima make you regret stubbing your toe (wink, wink).

XOXO,

Kimberly