Get Up Again

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Pickledonionsandchocolate

Get back up again

When you fall off the horse you need to get back on it again and do it as quickly as possible. Once enough time has passed in between falling and riding again our brains start to categorize all the ways in which we can get injured again, thus making it harder to saddle up. Our bodies have this innate ability to want to stay in one piece, and so when we do get injured or when we are in a state of danger, it gets burned into our memories and from that state on we figure out ways to avoid those scenarios and activities. It’s at this point that we have to choose to move past what we are afraid of and know that with living comes risk.

This past week my parents came to visit. We had plans in place to take them to some waterfalls and do some hiking around a nearby lake. When we were still in the planning stages of them coming to visit I suggested to my dad that he bring his motorcycle gear up because he could use my bike while here. On the day that we were going to go hiking at the lake I asked my dad if he wanted to take the bike and ride with my husband (each having their own bikes). He wasn’t sure at first since the lake was about an hour away but decided to ride. We headed out, my hubby and dad about 10min ahead of the rest of us. We were on the road about 45min when I got a call from my husband. The first thing he said was “we are all alright, but your dad had an accident”. Let me tell ya, my heart dropped, here I am driving my mom and kids to the lake and I get to be the bearer of bad news to the crew. I don’t know how other than by the grace of God, I stayed calm, but I got off the phone and told my mom the news. We got to where my dad and husband were and saw my dad walking around and then we saw the bike, on it’s side in a ditch, let me tell you, the bike had seen better days for sure. The headlight was hanging down, the windshield was broken and both of the side mirrors had been sheered off. My dad was walking around though with some dirt on his jacket at his helmet. It could have turned out so much worse but God was watching over my dad and husband. After getting my dad into the car and making sure my husband had enough food and water we turned around and went home to grab the trailer that would be the bikes last ride. Later on when we were all safe at home I asked my husband what had happened, he told me what he saw, and though it wasn’t him that had the actual crash it took him giving himself a bit of a pep talk to get back on his bike to ride it home. Now I am not sure if my dad will get on a bike anytime soon, but I hope he does. This was the first motorcycle crash he has had and he has been riding for a long time. My friend when I told her about the accident asked me if I had plans to ride and at first I thought “well yeah” but what she was asking is if I would get back on a bike again after what happened with my dad?

When you are actually living your life, uncertainty is always around the corner. Living in a state of fear or even anxiety keeps you in your very own prison. I know people that are so full of anxiety they don’t ever want to leave their homes. A good friend of mine in college had a pretty bad car accident, it took her months to be comfortable on the freeway, years to get over the fear of it happening again. When I first started working at a vet hospital I was cutting nails on this chow/mix dog. My coworker was holding the dog for me but you could tell that he was not happy and was actually pretty scared. So the second she let go to re-adjust he lashed out and bit my cheek. It took me a while to understand that not all chow mixes will bite me, and that I could move forward, but I am glad that I didn’t let the fear overcome me. I wouldn’t be working at a job I love (which as I write I have a bite wound healing on my hand). We need to get up again, we need to work past fears, and anxieties and uncertainties. I will leave you with the video to one of my favorite songs and I hope it brings you a bit of courage to get Up Again