Guest blog by Jon Nicholson
I severed my Achilles tendon in my right foot playing hockey.
To be more accurate: a reckless HACK severed it for me with a two-handed CHOP to the back of my ankle during a rec league ball hockey game.
I was playing to "get back my lungs".
I actually WAS getting them back against and with players almost 20 years younger and less skilled. Until then.
An explosion of pain. Brief though. When I tried to get up I fell down thinking "what?".
Again I tried an failed.
The foot hung loose, dangling, disconnected from my will and understanding.
dot dot dot
It was six months before I could walk. And then, the foot turned out a bit, unconsciously protecting itself.
The golf game that was comfortable at +6, gone. Now +25.
Rainy days, more annoying. The broken arms, nose, collarbone, etc now had a fresh companion.
You live. You eat. You do less. You "get busy".
You take shortcuts. You come up with a hundred reasons and distractions.
It's not drastic. It's like someone stealing one hair out of your head every night for a century. Slow attrition.
And then one night, the infomercial comes on.
I stop. Watch for a couple of seconds. Turn the channel. Then back.
"THIS IS INSANITY."
Hmm... Insanity huh.
I weigh in that night at 199.6 pounds.
This is NOT the heaviest I have been. I've been 206.
I'm 6' 2". It's not a weight that draws stares. When you're tall and you're under 230, no one would consider you overweight.
The BMI tool online says that you should be @ 175.
That tool is crazy. Clearly.
When I see the infomercial I'm 199.6 pounds.
I'm 38 years old and not participating in any organized activity since the injury. I limp. I eat a lot of complex carbs, cheese, pizza, hamburgers. I drink a lot of non-light beer. I work hard. I sit all day. I'm rewarded for using my brain. I drink a lot of diet soda. I smoke cigarettes. They relax me.
This is the set-up. This is the prologue.
Kind regards for the guest spot,
Jon
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