Half Hip and Totally Present

I’ve never been “hip”. I’ve tried to be cool, but the truth is I was a bit of a “square” growing up…more conscientious than easy-going, always fretting about something versus letting it be. Sometimes, I can be so serious that I miss hidden meanings in sarcasm, a tactic employed frequently by my husband.

As an adult now, I’m still not that hip…in fact so much so that my hips have collapsed (literally). The doctor says it’s “idiopathic” – this means we don’t know why. My hips have hurt for years, so I finally had my first total hip replacement last month (might I claim to be “half hip” now?!). We planned the surgery for the two weeks my husband could take off in order to care for me during recovery.

Though he’s totally hip and humorous, my husband’s sarcasm and me on painkillers mixed like oil and water. But since there was no getting around it—except verrrrry slowly in my walker those first couple weeks—I focused on being present to not only my healing process but also to my husband’s oddly-humorous ways, which I’d often dismissed before. Besides, what else could I do…we were house-bound together for the holidays!

As the days passed, I came to absolutely adore my witty husband’s constant quips about my hips…okay, not exactly. But I do confess they provided comic relief from post-surgery pains and frustration at my inability to run a marathon that first week (look at me, giving sarcasm a try!).

There’s an irony to my recent experience: Hips are what move us forward, and yet I’m learning that forward movement requires I stay present after-the-fact…in this ordeal, I couldn’t just “move on” to the next thing as I often have in my life.

I’m happy to report that my new hip is progressing nicely; and soon, I’ll be replacing my other one. Once that’s done, I’ll be “totally hip” and choosing to embrace a lighter way of being…less square and more hip, staying present to the moments that emerge from my chosen circumstances.

And I must say…I’m really loving my new funny bones, both bionic and otherwise!

This Week: Celebrate all the stuff you get done, Action Jackson! And then choose where you may wish to show up more intentionally and stay present…perhaps it’s a place, with a person, or for a passion.

In Next Week’s Post: It’s all about connection and trust, trust me.