RECALCULATION…RECALCULATION…RECALCULATION
Have you ever used the GPS feature in your vehicle to find a destination? Probably yes. Imagine that you’re meeting some friends at a restaurant that requires reservations. Reservations that took you weeks to get. You’re excited as you jump into your vehicle and enter the destination address in your GPS app. In your app you may have options like, quickest route, route to avoid tolls, route to avoid traffic congestion or maybe even a scenic route option. So, you hit the road; confident that you’ll arrive at your destination in the time stated on the GPS’s display. As you drive, you approach a turn that you’re supposed to take. You hear (for proper effect, read this next line in a robotic voice): “In a ¼ mile turn right on the next street.” (Don’t you wish they would use real human voices for those?) As you get closer to the street you see a large barricade with a sign attached to it that reads: ROAD CLOSED-DO NOT ENTER. And of course, there’s no sign present with directions for an alternate route. Uh oh! What do you do now? You’re not sure how to get to your destination, and now your only means of navigation failed to account for the road closure. So, you experience a bit of panic, but that panic promptly dissipates because your GPS sounds off with: RECALCULATING. You’re now at ease because the good ol’ reliable GPS will take care of you. Unfortunately, though, that feeling doesn’t last long. Because the RECALCULATING isn’t really helping, because each recalculation leads you to another closed road, or one way street, or dead-end street. You’re now starting to panic again! You decide that you’ll take matters into your own hands. You attempt to utilize your own navigation skills to get you to your destination. You sadly proceed with limited confidence knowing that you’ll likely arrive to dinner late…maybe in time for dessert!
Dealing with recalculations for road closures and being late to dinner, ehh…that might be an easy one to deal with. I however recently had a significant recalculation that detoured my plans. A detour that will likely last for the next 6-12 months. …more on that later.
Life is all about change. That’s a concept I feel that most of us can embrace. The challenge is how do we keep moving through the change. Our response to change is sometimes to keep moving and ignore it. Acting as if nothing’s changed. At other times we simply stop moving or give up because we simply don’t know what to do in response to the change. Neither of those by itself is a proper response. What’s needed is a well thought out methodical and planned approach. One that reflects on past circumstances, bears in mind recent changes and simultaneously considers future objectives. Here are five recommendations that you can use to handle some of life’s detours.
5 Ways to Handle Life’s Detours
1. Build a Strong Support System
When a GPS recalculates, it doesn’t work alone—it relies on satellites, data, and many different connections. Similarly, when life throws unexpected changes your way, surrounding yourself with a support network is crucial. Family, friends, mentors, and professionals (like physical therapists for an injured athlete) provide emotional support, guidance, and practical advice.
Imagine an injured athlete leaning on their coach, teammates, family, and a therapist to not only rebuild physical strength but also to maintain a positive mindset. Having this community around helps them see that while they can’t compete on the field right now, they’re not on this journey alone.
Understandably, not everyone has access to a strong support system. If you do find yourself without assistance, please don’t give up. There are plenty of resources available to assist people in a variety of areas. Find them, reach out to them and ask for help. And most importantly…don’t give up.
2. Have Faith In God and In the Process
Much like how we trust the GPS to get us back on track, having faith in God helps provide peace and perspective. Faith can anchor you during challenging times. God can use your change in circumstance to develop you into something greater than you were before the change. Even though the outcome may not be immediately clear…keep the faith.
Some athletes may feel lost without the ability to be on the field in competition, but faith reassures them that this detour might lead to unexpected opportunities to perhaps develop new skills in different areas. Skills that may allow them to still be involved in the sport they love…things like coaching or mentoring.
3. Seek to Understand the WHY Behind the Change
Understanding the why behind the change leads to acceptance of the change. When the GPS recalculates, it’s sometimes because it has detected something you didn’t see—a traffic jam, an accident, or a closed road. Understanding the why can help minimize the tendency to resist the change, which is especially important if the nature of the change is beyond our control. This is also a time to consider being proactive for the future. Taking time now to reflect and prepare for future change will give you a leg up the next time a similar change event occurs.
In the sports world an athlete might come to understand that the injury is a signal to slow down, refocus, or prioritize long-term health. This insight can shift their mindset from frustration to personal growth.
4. Effectively Use Your Time During the Transition
Most of the time a GPS recalculation means you may have to take a longer route. But a longer route doesn’t necessarily mean a waste of time. It’s just a different way to get where you’re going. A positive approach is to look at this new route as a chance to experience a different neighborhood of your city. Or perhaps expand your personal or professional network. Whatever characterizes your change situation; there are likely numerous opportunities for you to learn something valuable that you can take with you once the change has passed. You just must keep your eyes open for the opportunities.
Athletes in the recovery process could focus on activities that they may not have had time for while they were actively participating in their sport. This may include deepening their understanding of their sport by watching more film, reading about those who have had success overcoming similar challenges or listening to motivational speakers.
5. Stay Open to New Opportunities
Let’s be honest, none of us really love the unfamiliar. When the GPS suggests a new route, it might take you down some roads you’ve never seen before. But if you’re open to it you may be led to some unexpected and beautiful discoveries. Similarly, staying open to new possibilities during a life transition can lead to personal or professional growth that you may not have experienced outside of your recent change.
You’ve probably seen many athletes retire. Some because of injury and some just because their time had come. Some of them have found new a new love in broadcasting, acting, coaching, training, teaching business skills to high school students or perhaps a non-sports related venture in the business world. They didn’t just wallow in self-pity about the end of their career. They made a conscious decision to move on!
I mentioned earlier of my personal detour. As I write this, it’s been a little over a week since my world was recalculated.
On a recent warm weekend morning, I was full of excitement as I headed to a local park to play softball. My 22yr old son and some of his friends played on the team I was about to join. It was a great feeling because I was anxious to show my son that I still had some ability to play. Now don’t get me wrong…I’m 56 about to play a game with some dudes in their 20’s, so I had no illusions about outshining anyone. I just wanted to show them, my son and myself that I could still hold my own (hit the ball, catch the ball and run). I felt great. I’ve been working out in the gym regularly, lifting weights, running, stretching…ya know the usual stuff! I had some minor aches and pains here and there, but I was virtually injury free. A far as I could see there wasn’t anything holding me back from performing at a respectable level for a 56-yr old guy.
My first at-bat was very underwhelming. The 2nd at-bat resulted in a single, from which I eventually scored. My 3rd at-bat is when things went sideways.
I hit a little dribbler to the shortstop, which I figured he’d easily grab and throw me out at 1st. I then broke the cardinal rule: ALWAYS HUSTLE, and I casually began jogging to 1st base. However, the shortstop bobbled the ball, which gave me the idea that I could arrive safely at 1st. So, I immediately turned on the jets and with a head of steam ran toward 1st base. A few steps later I heard a loud pop! My leg gave out and I hit the ground hard, just a few feet from the base. I’ll spare you the sounds and words that came out of my mouth…just use your imagination. The next thing I knew I was being carried to the car by my son and one of his buddies. My wife speedily drove to the Emergency Room while I grimaced in pain the whole way. After being examined it was determined that my patellar tendon had ruptured. That’s the tendon that attaches your patella/kneecap to your tibia. You can say ouch now!
So, that was my RECALCULATION. What I thought was going to be a fun day on the softball field turned out to be the start of a 6-12 month journey of rehabilitation. As I write this my surgery was just yesterday. As unexpected and painful as this was, I have to say that it wasn’t all that bad.
My support system headed by my Lovely wife has been instrumental. She immediately jumped into care-giver mode; making sure that I was taken care of from the moment we arrived at the ER, to the doctor’s office visits to caring for me at home. She has truly made this experience more bearable.
As I move through this process, I’m reminded of the numerous life trials that I’ve been through and how God showed up right on time during each one of those trials. He did it then and He will do it again. I don’t know exactly how this rehabilitation will play out, but I don’t have to. God has got me in His hands.
Of course, I’m wondering why this injury happened and what I could have done to prevent it. Good stuff to know but I’m not gonna allow myself to get bogged down by that. My goal is to learn how to best take care of myself to minimize the possibility of future injury. That, I feel will be an effective use of my time. Also, while my motion is limited, I’m planning to get to some projects that have been on the back burner for quite some time…like my Blog, Podcast, catching up on some reading and organizing computer files.
Instead of doing all you can to avoid and reject life’s recalculations and detours, seek to embrace, learn from and grow because of them. Keep a long-term view and enjoy the fruits that come as a result.