Your Weakness Can Be Your Strength

The water bottle was staring at him from across the room as if it knew it would take him a superhuman effort to get up and go get it. At first, he decided to ignore it. The water bottle has won one too many stare-offs. He will have to wait until one of his roommates came back. Is there such thing as telepathy? Maybe if he calmed down and cleared his head, he will be able to silently call out for one of the roommates. Or maybe tip over the water bottle and have it roll over towards him. Did the Force exist? Now was a good time to find out.

He deemed his leg useless ever since a heavyset fellow fell on it during a rugby game. He limped and waited for his surgery, which was set six months later, abroad. He kept himself busy by showing up to practice, just to watch. He couldn’t play but he was still one of them. He was teased. He was called crippleand that hurt more than just his knee.

The water bottle still hadn’t budged an inch and there was no sign of life in the apartment.

He sighed.

He stepped out of bed, slowly but surely. It was time he put what he learnt in the physiotherapy sessions to the test. He pulled himself up, his arms against the wall for support. One step. One limp. One step. One limp. He had forgotten how to walk. His hip and his posture were in bad shape and so he had to be fully aware of each command he was sending to his body. He looked up. The water bottle seemed to be bigger. He turned towards the bed, just to check how far he made it. Hmm. Far enough. He congratulated himself. He smirked as he got a hold of the bottle. His first victory in months.

He dedicated himself to his rehabilitation.

A few months later, he was out on the field.

It was a big game, but they were not counting on him. He didn’t have any expectations either. He was just grateful he was wearing the team’s colors again.

They let him play but not at his usual position. A small price to pay.

The game was surreal. That’s how he put it. It was an out of body experience. He made the first big hit and grew confident. He was hyped. He let loose and focused on tackling. The next thing he knows he scores a try with a slide.

They almost won. They had less experience than the opposing team, but theycame this far.

His teammate and coach congratulate him. He was back in full force. He was receiving praise from here and there but to him, that night was a humbling experience.

The barrier was still there. Physical and mental. He still had a long way to go but he was making remarkable progress.

He even helped his friends with ACL injuries as he felt he has become some sort of an export when it comes to dealing with the pain. He was something between a motivational speaker and a lecturer. You get one body and one life, you should take care of it, if not for you, for the people who love you. Don’t ignore the small stuff. Don’t take life for granted.

The water bottle still stares at him from across the room, but it lost its air of defiance. It knows what he’s capable of… and so does he.

— Written by Lama —