Gimp

I hurt my knee playing basketball last week. I've had to tell the story a lot over the past few days, so I'm going to put it up here so that I won't have to later tell it again to my five readers. I played basketball last Monday, which was fine, but the next day my right knee felt really tight, but it didn't really inhibit anything I was doing. On Wednesday it felt a little better, so I played basketball again, and when we were almost done, I was on defense and tried to change direction. My knee decided that would be a good time to stop supporting my body, and it basically gave out on me and I went tumbling to the hardwood. It thereafter swelled up like a grapefruit and hurt and made it difficult to walk or do anything that required bending it. I saw our athletic trainer on Thursday, but she said that it was too swollen to really be able to tell what I did, so I'm seeing her again on Tuesday and we'll go from there. However, it is feeling significantly better now that it was at first, and I'm getting around a ton better. It only gives me real problems in certain activities, like getting in or out of a car or putting on my socks or sitting in a bathroom stall.

Now that that's all cleared up, there are a few things that I've been thinking about due to my bum leg. First, I've come to appreciate much more some of the things that I have. Way too often, I complain to myself or sometimes others about things I would change about myself. I mean, I wouldn't mind being a little stronger or having better eyesight or less puffy hair or being a better dance or less awkward around people. But I can usually walk alright, and I guess that's something to be thankful for, because there's a lot of people in the world that can't. I'm fortunate to generally be in good health, and never again will I complain about having to walk all the stairs on Ozark's campus, because at least I can walk them pain-free and without having to take one slow step at a time.

Also, I've come to realize how nice people around here are to injured friends. Not that they're only nice to others when they are hurt, but they are pretty nice in general, and I'm very thankful for that. Although it is imperfect, the community at Ozark really blows me away at times, and the last week has been such a time. Especially at first when I was hobbling around like I had a peg-leg, everyone was asking how I was doing and if I needed them to carry my lunch tray or get me a refill or drive me up the hill or whatever. And I usually didn't need anything. I mean, I could get from my seat to the soda machine and back without collapsing, but it was still encouraging that everyone was so willing to help me out. Also, I had a ton of people offering me all sorts of painkillers and other pills. So I guess I also go to a school full of drug-pushers.

Where these to realizations are connected, I guess, is that I really do have a lot to be thankful for. I have health and ability and resources that so many people in the world lack, and it would be awfully terrible of me to take them for granted. I'm also surrounded by tons of incredible people who really love others and want to serve Christ, and that is always an encouraging thing. Hopefully, however, it doesn't take another demolished joint for me to recognize the good things I have. I've learned all the lessons I care to learn by such object lessons.