It was a good news/bad news type of meeting.

While my foot has slowly been getting better, part of me wanted to make sure that there was no significant damage. I wanted that reassurance that indeed the issue involved some ligaments or muscles and nothing that required any type of cast or prolonged period of isolation from the sports I have grown to love.

However, I didn’t want to be a hypochondriac (which runs in my family) and didn’t want to make more out of it than it was.

Mark reminded that (a) I really was injured in a significant way and (b) I had health insurance.

True on both points. So off to the doctor I went.

And she was great.

She knows that I’m an athlete and that I want to continue triathlons and distance running. She examined my foot and asked questions and explained her medical thoughts to me. The verdict was that I did a number on the ligaments in my foot and that probably I didn’t have any type of bone fragment or chip. Should I develop pain when I run, then it’s time for an X-ray and bone scan. Otherwise, the prescription is rest.

And that was the bad news.

Rest.

She told me to keep busy and that swimming and cycling would be just fine. But getting back to running should be more gradual.

As I type this out, the morning sky is that brilliant shade of blue and the green of spring seems fresh and inviting.

Not running is frustrating.

As I posted good news/bad news dichotomy  on Twitter and Facebook, I was given some healthy perspective.

For one, if my bad news is that I have to rest, isn’t that a sign that my life doesn’t suck?

Fair point. And a good one to pause on. Because often we tend to lose perspective easily — sight of the bigger picture. We get caught up in the details. I love the details. It’s what keeps momentum toward that bigger goal. It’s what makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something. But sometimes we need to keep en eye on that bigger goal, to let go of some of the planned details in order to make room for something more, something better, something more authentic to come into that space.

So I’ll take it easy on the run, rest my foot for another day and hopefully start short jaunts this weekend.

I’ll work on channeling my energy from panic to productivity, focusing on my swim or my bike or any one of a myriad of projects I have going at one time.

Instead of dwelling on the problem, I need to look for the gift.