Problem vs. Challenge

Challenges aren’t always easy to overcome yet somehow when you look back, they don’t always seem to be as a big of a deal. Why is that? I guess a lot of us are made up of either being, laid back, kind of, go with the flow type of people, and others are more OCDish about all the “problems” we are faced with each day. I specifically can recall a HUGE problem (or so I thought at the time) that arose my senior year. I was so pumped for senior year softball. Summer league would come before that though, and I was ready to work hard to be prepared for school ball to start in August. Then, about 6 weeks before school ball started, I was practicing with the team and broke my finger. Ahhh! All that I could think of was school ball coming up, and “what in the world was I going to do.” All the worst ran through my mind like casts, deformities, amputation, haha! You name it, it ran through my head. We made our way through the x-rays and waited for the doctor to come in. Unfortunately, the type of break I had wasn’t the so called “simple” kind. NOOOOOO!!! It had to be complicated. Surgery? Possibly. Too early to tell. I really didn’t understand all that he was saying because once he said I prob. wouldn’t be healed in order to start school ball, I was pretty much out of the conversation. We got in the car and I shed the typical, RIVER OF TEARS and BLUBBERED to my mom about how this couldn’t be an option. She talked to me, and once I was clear enough to listen, together, we came up with some options. I had to somehow turn this problem into a challenge. A week later, after the swelling was down, we went back to take another look and I was ready to take charge. Haha! We talked about my options, and I requested physical therapy 5 times a week. Yes, that’s right. Physical therapy 5 times a week FOR A FINGER!! The doctor looked at me like I was totally INSANE! But… he did agree to let me do it. It was a bit drastic, but it was the only way to hopefully have a chance to be ready for the season. At that point, I was still thinking about college ball possibilities vs. the whole, go with your career goals thing, and I knew I had to be on for my senior year. Anyway, I made it through therapy 5 times a week for about 6 weeks with no surgery. School ball started up, and I practiced, cautiously, bandaged, and protected, until the very first game. I thought I was ready, but my finger? Not so much. Haha! Anyway, I played, I had a great season, it…somewhat healed, and life went on. Its so funny now, looking back on it. I think there’s that competitiveness inside me that is always ready for a challenge. Inside, secretly, when a problem arises, I just want to whisper…..bring it!