Ten years ago today I had knee surgery in Hong Kong to re-align a knee-cap. A couple of friends from the US happened to be in town that day and accompanied me to the hospital. Both of them have had more than their fair share of surgical procedures so they had lots of advice and encouragement for me.
There’s one bit of advice, in particular, that helped me through the many months it took to recover. “Keep your eyes on the rear-view mirror,” they said. “You have to focus on the things you couldn’t do yesterday or last week, and NOT on the things that you still can’t do. That’s the only way to see your progress and stay motivated to keep moving forward.”
Earlier this year a friend of mine had knee replacement surgery, and I was able to pass along this piece of advice that had been so helpful to me.
To be honest, it is good advice for many areas of life, especially those that make you wonder if you’re making progress or going anywhere.
Glance in the rearview mirror and be grateful.
I’m grateful for a fantastic surgeon in Hong Kong who was able to get me back on my bike and skis!
The surgery also upped my international street cred. I am an American, born in Pakistan, lived in China, and now have three Swiss screws in my knee that were inserted in Hong Kong!
you are such an internationalist! love all your posts and hearing about your adventures…. sure miss your three!