An Enlightening Injury

We come across injuries every now and then. These are part of our routine. Be it a small scratch on your leg while crossing a field or a small cut while cutting the vegetables. They don't bother us much.

What bother us are serious injuries. Injuries which can permanently affect our lives, our posture, our ability, our dexterity. We have to be very careful not to get seriously injured. A serious injury can permanently change our life and that of our loved ones.

This happened on 4th June when I was playing volleyball in the evening. Lockdown was relaxed and after 3-4 rounds of discussions, we had finally agreed to start the game. It was the first day after 2 months of rigorous lockdown. Everybody was excited as well as cautioned because lockdown relaxation didn't mean corona relaxation. Fear was there. But still we went on. We were aware of the fact that our town had not a single corona case, not even a suspect. So, we were convinced that it was okay to start the game.

If you know about volleyball, you must be aware that there is (18*9) m field divided by a net. The outline of this field must be clearly visible to declare a ball out or in. 

To make it visible, we dug a hole about 7 cm deep and 7 cm wide throughout the boundary.

It was a mistake. But we didn't have a choice. There was nothing else to make it work.

10 minutes into play, my team got a point and I proceeded to serve. I flipped the ball, took a run, jumped and hit the ball hard. It was a good jump, good hit and a good serve. Ball passed the net fast, spinning like a pulsar. Well, maybe not like a pulsar😅, but it hit the exact point where I had targeted it. We got another point. Everybody turned to congratulate me.

But, I was lying on the ground, curled up like a snake, writhing in pain. Everybody was shocked and rushed toward me to help.

What happened was, while landing from the jump, my left foot landed on the same pit which we had dug on the outline. Landing was not stable and due to the high momentum of body and the heavy force exerted, my ankle couldn't absorb the pressure and got twisted.

If it is too technical for you, imagine a wet cloth after squeezing all the water from it. It's just that, instead of a wet cloth, it was my ankle.

Pain was unbearable. It was like somebody started a fire inside my leg, and it was slowly reaching towards my heart. I could feel my heart thumping like a miniature drum. I could feel the blood racing through my veins. I could feel my brain forcing me to quickly open my shoes but my hands were not ready to leave the injured area. I felt the need of more air, as if somebody was putting pressure on my neck. I realised that I was surrounded by people but all I could see were silhouettes. I could feel people around me trying to talk to me but all I can hear was noise and rumble. My body started giving up to pain. My senses were getting numb. I could feel my brain getting ready to make me unconscious, to bypass this extreme pain.

But, my heart was still not ready to give up. The interesting thing about will power is, it can overpower any obstacle in this world. It just depends on how strong you have made it in yourself.

My heart was constantly telling me not to let go, we have done this before, this is not new, we can do this. My will power was not ready to surrender yet, it was constantly nudging my brain to stop this defensive bullshit and let it handle the situation. 

Amid all this clamour, infighting and indecision, I started getting my senses back. Those silhouettes changed into humans, their voices were now clear and understandable.

All this brouhaha between the brain and heart was for 3 minutes and ultimately heart won. It convinced the brain that I could bear that pain, I had done it many times in the past and I could do it again, and I did.

But the pain was not all over, it just got bearable. I removed my shoes, and as expected, saw a huge swelling in my ankle. So much that I couldn't put on my shoes again. 

Everybody around me started talking.

"It's definitely a fracture"

"I think it's a sprain"

"I know a man living around who can fix this in 2 minutes"

"He should do an X-ray to clarify things"

"Dude, I don't think you will ever walk normally again, your leg has become tilted"

This chatter didn't bother me because, as I said, it was not new, it had happened many times before, and I knew exactly what it was , what it required and how much time it would take to heal.

After 5 minutes of extensive debate, everybody went on to continue the game, leaving me alone.

I was preparing to somehow stand and try to walk towards my bike. I was confident that once I reached to my bike, I could drive it to home. But, as soon as I put my left leg on the ground, a thunder like sensation pierced my whole body like a dagger. It was impossible to stand. So, I gave up and lied on the ground idly. 

Suddenly I felt somebody touching my leg, I got up and saw an old lady whom I never saw, never met, didn't know trying to analyse the injured area. 

She was very old, her hands were shaking. Her white hairs were dirty and randomly hewn. Her clothes were too large for her slim and weak body, she was covered in them and kept them intact somehow. 
Wrinkles on her body were fighting among themselves to be more visible. Her voice was trembling when she spoke. Her spine was bent forward and it looked as if she was walking with great effort. She was respected by everyone there. When I enquired, I found out that she lived nearby and was 88 years old.

After 2 minutes of her analysis, she got up and left. I couldn't understand what was going on. After 10 minutes she returned with two bowls of water. One was hot and other was cold. As soon as I saw those bowls of water, I immediately knew what she was going to do. She was going to put my foott in hot and cold water alternatively. It was a time tested treatment and had been effective for a long time, but I was not sure if it could be applied so soon.

This time she started conversation with me. She started asking about my family, job, studies, etc. Then she asked if I have ever helped anyone in need like this before. I replied in affirmative and started telling her about how I helped my friends when they got injured several times, how I have even helped many strangers when they needed help. How, I once entered a well to save a puppy and its mother who accidentally fell in there, etc.

While saying these things, I could feel my leg going up and down in those bowls alternatively and I was feeling a lot of pain, but I didn't resist.

She said,"You're a good kid. You know, god gives us injuries to get a break from our miserable lives."

"That doesn't seem logical"

"Why not?"

"Why would god give us so much pain and suffering just to get a break?"

"Because, without pain, you wouldn't listen to anybody, not even to god. Would You?"

I remained silent. She continued,"You will be on bed for at least 10 days now. Work on your shortcomings kid. Think about your life, your positives and negatives. How you can make your life and those of your loved ones more beautiful and happy. Think about your present and future. Think about what you want to do with your life and what is stopping you from doing it. Think about how you can overcome those little obstacles that hinder your way going forward. Think about your anger, how you can control it. Think about your goal and how to achieve it. Think how you can spread love and positivity around you."

I still remained silent. And she also wan't expecting a reply. She suddenly asked me to stand up. I looked at her with horror on my face. I couldn't put my foot on ground a while ago, how would I stand up? She insisted and I tried. I put my foot on ground again, this time I was able to do so. Pain was bearable. Then I pushed myself to stand up. Putting my whole weight on my right leg and supporting my left leg, I slowly got up. Then I tried to take a step. She stopped me there. "Not so soon", she said.

After another 15-20 minutes, I tried again and this time, with great effort, I could limp. I limped towards my bike, somehow got on it and drove it directly towards home. Driving with this condition was very dangerous, but I was confident I could do it, and I did it.

I reached home. Then, as usual, heard the scolding of my mother with her face slowly turning pale and her eyes slowly turning moist and red. I never liked her with that face but I couldn't help it. 

Now, it's been 12 days, my leg is almost healed. I can run now, and do all sorts of work. I still feel a little tingling at my ankle but I am sure it will go away in next 5-6 days. 

However, I am still not sure, whether I have worked on all those things told by that lady that day. I am still unsure whether I have utilized this break judiciously.