Tendinitis of the Soul
The summer before my senior of high school, which I realize is a way of saying, “In a galaxy far, far away,” I went to see my doctor because the pain in my left knee was growing each day. Because in that galaxy far, far away, I was a decent athlete and played sports year round. Out of the three sports I played, basketball was my drug of choice. I would get lost for hours shooting at the school next to my house. It is no exaggeration to say I made thousands of imaginary buzzer beating shots on those courts. But the excessive running and jumping had a cost.
The doctor quickly determined that I had Patellar tendinitis, which is most commonly called jumper’s knee. Through the constant and relentless strain on the tendon that attaches the kneecap to the shinbone, small tears had occurred in the tendon. The phenomenon known as the human body is always attempting to heal itself, but because jumper’s knee is most common in athletes, the simple rest needed is too often neglected. The three best preventative steps for patellar tendinitis are: Don’t play through pain, strengthen the muscles around the knee, and work to improve your technique in exercise.
If you made it this far with me writing about sports and tendinitis, well done. Now let’s get to the point.
I believe we are currently experiencing tendinitis of the soul.
Our culture has little concept of what it means to live with a rhythm of work and rest.
Work more. Build more. Make more. Repeat.
Think on how people talk about relaxing or taking a day off, “I just took a day to be lazy.” Huh? You mean you took a day off of work? How dare you!
Rest is labeled as lazy. Yikes.
Pain acts as an alarm to the body, and tendinitis through its pulsing and flare ups is the way the knee pleads for rest and ice.
This pandemic, along with political chaos and societal meltdown, has collided with all of the Us versus Them binary living, which has created a population boiling in liquid anxiety and depression. This has produced a population of people simply begging for an end, while trying every imaginable remedy to get rid of the anxiety.
But I wonder if we are willing to listen to the anxiety. The pain of the people is pleading with us to pay attention. So let’s hone in on the three basic ways of preventative care for tendinitis.
Don’t play through the pain. I tried with my knee and it made it much worse.
Yet the roar of those demanding we just plow through the pain we are feeling right now is deafening. The idea of pausing in order to pay attention to the pain is inconceivable for far too many. But what is desperately needed right now is rest and ice.
We also need to strengthen the muscles surrounding the tendon. What muscles are being neglected or ignored? In trying to do things that just are not possible, are we neglecting to work on things that are possible? Because we can’t do one thing, maybe we need to tap into the creative stream to try new things or new ways of doing old things. The other muscles are begging to be stretched and utilized.
The third step is to improve our techniques in exercise. So we pause to study and discern ways for more fluid movement to go along with better pre and post workout stretching.
Did you know that it was only four days into the first quarantine back in March that the cries began of a complete economic meltdown? Which means the so called greatest and strongest economy in the world does not have the ability to simply pause and rest. There is zero space for a day off.
In the United States we spend $1.2 trillion a year on non-essential goods. The lowest level of honesty can admit how that is an economy built on excess and gluttony. Our technique needs a significant adjustment and possible overhaul. Yet, I don’t doubt that many who just read the last three sentences turned a shade of red, maybe got a little warm under the collar, and possibly mumbled something sarcastic or disgruntled out loud. It’s quite possible that the venomous cry for “my rights,” has made us blind to our communal responsibility.
Ok, deep breath.
To this day when the weather is about to abruptly shift, my knees begin to pulse and flare up, acting as flashing neon sign to prepare for change.
Advent comes to us during the darkest and coldest season of the year. Nature knocks on the door of our soul and pleads with us to slow down and listen, which includes listening to the world around us. Where is rest needed? Where might ice need to be applied? Are there surrounding muscles in need of exercise and strengthening? How is our technique? Could we make some adjustments or pretty significant changes?
Pain can connect us, but healing is what bonds us.
May the pain of the present lead us to an intentional time of listening. May we discern when to rest, when to ice, and what other muscles need to be strengthened. May we not go it alone, but instead join together in seeking adjustments and change.
Grace and Peace in the listening, flexing and stretching.
