All brains, no legs

I broke my foot…and it sucks. But my inability to move has shown me a few things. For instance, I had no idea that I had so many good ideas until I was virtually unable to act on any of them.

As I sit stranded on a chair, the couch, in my office, I’ve been paying close attention to this. Within a span of a minute, I’ll have twenty ideas – things I could do – but then I can’t, I’m just stuck siting there. Or worse, I’m telling my family to do them…which they’re getting very sick of. They include: cleaning the bathrooms, culling through the fridge for old leftovers, cutting the dog’s nails, alphabetizing our bookshelves…you know, things like that.

At first I saw all of this as negative. I got fairly bummed out and I even cried. I tried to come to terms with the fact that there are some things that I just can not do.

Then I remembered that that was bullshit. I refuse to take no for an answer in most places in my life, so why was this different. And I come up with solutions to circumvent my handicap, like scooching on my butt to get to the ice cream, calling one of my neighbors to carry my lunch out to my office, enlisting the help of my children and dogs to bring me my crutches, practicing thumb-twiddling patience and dealing with a life full of nothing non-attachment and, yes, barking orders.

It’s not so different, you know, from what I do here at my computer all day. As I talk to clients and hear what they need, I determine what I can do for them and what I can’t. The ‘can’ts’ got solved by finding people in my sphere that ‘can.’ No problem is really insurmountable and the really good ones force your creativity. I find more strength when I embrace the fact that I’m never completely whole by myself – life and work are fuller when I invite others in.

And just like I’m always learning new writing and marketing skills and developing my craft – one day, I’m bound to walk again.

Image credit: hurley gurley