“Until you are broken, you don’t know what you are made of.
It gives you the ability to build yourself all over again, but stronger than ever.”
This is a quote that has truly defined who I am over the last 8 weeks.
Life had been going really well! I absolutely LOVE competing and the season was fast approaching! I can’t tell you how excited I was! I was working hard, making progress– but somehow life seems to throw you curve balls when you least expect it. Let me back up– last year I had a stress fracture in my elbow and the doctor advised me to let time heal it (which I did). Unfortunately, it started hurting again. After a dreaded trip to the doctor, he said that the best course of action is to put two screws in my elbow. My first thoughts were complete devastation, then I immediately started asking questions. How long??? How soon can I get this fixed? My DR appointment was on Friday and my surgery was scheduled two days later on Monday. I had to be at the hospital at noon, so I begged my parents to go to gym from 7-11 that morning. That turned out to be quite the challenge as I was not able to eat or drink anything the day of surgery! One hour of conditioning and 3 hours of events without water was quite the experience! After gym I went straight to the hospital. Surgery went great. I was in so much pain but ready to start the next step of the journey— Physical Therapy. Only two days after surgery –all bandages off and ready to get better! After 4 weeks of intense PT, hours and hours in the gym, at PT and at home—pushing myself to get full extension and strength back, I WAS FULLY RELEASED! ( 4 weeks might not seem like a long time—but when you can’t fully do what you love—these 4 weeks seemed like an eternity!)
Now I’m on the last leg of this journey and that is to get stronger and get all my skills back! The hardest part for me is coming back slowly and not just jumping right in, as all I wanted to do was get fully back to doing the sport I love. I am striving for progress every day—I will get there!
After the last year, I feel like I’m a pro at handling adversity and tough situations. My mom always taught me- to never focus on what I can’t do, but what I can do, in every situation. So, I went to gym every single day with the intent on perfecting every skill that I could still do, acquire new skills, get stronger, and be the best teammate I can be–cheering my friends on while they are still able to chase their dreams this season.
I have always had absolute faith that everything happens for a reason and I know that I have gotten mentally and physically stronger through this journey.
This is not at all how I envisioned this season to go, but I have found that I am so much more than a gymnast. My identity and purpose is not just to be a good gymnast—but to be a GREAT person. I think that is what I have learned most. That is why this is called a journey—it is not just the destination—but living life along the way.
“What GOD is preparing you for is worth the wait”
I am working on a training video for March—so check back soon.
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