My first time……..

Back in the summer this year it was my first time having a hip replacement .

I used to have a rubbish arthritic hip which was sore, inflexible and stopped me doing a lot of things with my kids that I wanted to do.  Now that I’m all better (for a good few years anyway…till I need another replacement) I can look back on that time and think it was absolutely the best thing I ever did.

But of course before the operation I was petrified!  Convinced I was going to die on the operating table and leave two children without a mum, unsure whether the replacement would be any good, unsure whether I should stick with my rubbish hip – at least I knew its limitations and it was familiar.

But I chose to have the op, to jump into the big, black unknown and trust the doctors, nurses and physios around me who would look after me and help me recover afterwards.  To trust that my mum and my husband would step in and be ‘mum’ to my kids while I got back on my feet.

So what’s the point of this?

Well, since my op I’ve discovered that a new attitude (or perhaps an attitude that had become increasingly hidden) – an attitude where I just try stuff.  I’ve always prided myself on a belief that I have a flexible approach to life, that I’m open to new things, and to change.  But I hadn’t realised how much that part of me had disappeared as my arthritis had got worse.  My immobility and pain had caused me to say no to things that I might otherwise have embraced, and to choose routes of least resistance – not just physically but psychologically too.

My new-found, pain-free mobility has released a new me – someone who’s up for giving stuff a try.  So that now, just five months after my first time having a hip op, I’ve also had my first time tweeting, hacking, blogging, conference speaking, #connectinghr -ing, volunteer coaching, and generally exploring…….embracing new opportunities.  After all, what’s the worst that could happen?  And, I have to say at this point, thank you to @PerryTimms, @HRTinker and @dds180 for encouraging me and making a lot of that stuff a reality.

I was interested to read a great post earlier today by @projectlibero (http://projectlibero.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/maybe-theres-a-road/) where he talks about this year being the Chinese Year of the Snake.  One where we shed our old skin and emerge in a stronger fresh covering.  Very poignant for me.

So what about you?

What do you have in your life that’s not great, but feels safe and familiar?

What choices do you have that fill you with fear and dread because you don’t know what the outcome might be?

Who do you have around you that you trust, and who can give you support and strength when you need it most?

What could be possible in your life if you embrace your inner snake and shed that old skin?