Recovery in Mind

‘Recovery in progress. Pain free unless I move.’

This was how I captioned the image above on Twitter last Tuesday.

A week after surgery - the pain and swelling are still here but I am recovering gradually.?I have a confession that I will come to later.

If you have had surgery under general anaesthetic before, you tend to forget how much it takes out of you. Before last week I had surgery like this 3 times - at ages 7, 18 and 25.

I wake up each morning and feel OK, but after a short time I am tired and need to close my eyes again.?This is unfamiliar territory for me.?Most know me for being full of energy – aspiring to make every minute count and I often feel guilt when not doing something I deem to be ‘productive’.

I am not sure I remember needing to sit and do nothing and it feeling ‘OK’ without a sense of guilt. I have to remind myself of the healing that my body is going through.

I took solace on Sunday, when a visiting friend reminded me to ensure I took sufficient time to recover. He reflected on how after surgery a few years ago he felt forced to return to work earlier than he should.

On Monday, I read a blog by Girish Rishi titled “Going Away to Go All-in”.?Girish’s underlying message was that we all need time out.?Time out each day and time out each year.?Taking time to observe, to watch and be mindful of the world around you.

The significance of Girish’s words would have been less impactful two weeks ago.?In many ways I am being forced to take time out and be mindful.

Girish highlighted how hard it can be to take time out – the fear and paranoia of what “colleagues, supervisor, boards would think” while highlighting that the “joy of an empty mind abundantly eclipses the spasmic sense of insecurity”.

I promised you a confession....?

I am embarrassed, and in some ways ashamed, to say that the surgery I had last week I had put off on two occasions last Autumn.?The reason? Work commitments.?To be clear this was not something suggested in any way by my employer – my manager expressed disappointment at my choices.?It was entirely in my own head – like the fear and paranoia that Girish described.

You might be thinking, ‘Oliver, you are crazy prioritising your work over health.’?And you would be right – health is the foundation for everything else.?You would have thought after over 25 years in the workplace this would have been obvious – but it shows how we all need little reminders.

A little like Girish’s reminder.

Ferris Bueller told us “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” ?He was right, and so is Girish.?

The lessons - take the time out to look at the world.?Do it regularly.?Do not put your health - physical or mental - second for anything.

It could just be the ‘Going Away to Go all in’ you really need.