Round two, buckle my shoe.

“I live my life based on 2 principles. One, I live as if today was my last day on earth. Two, I live today as if I am going to live forever.”

Osho

Here we go again… another foot surgery. Last one best one, as they say. Or so I am telling myself.

Leading up to my second surgery, I was frequently asked, “Is it better or worse knowing what you are in store for?”

Good question. And 2 weeks into my second recovery, I still am unsure I have the answer. Let’s look at both sides…

On the one hand, I am better prepared. I knew how to set up my house and make adjustments to improve the setup. I know what is most challenging to get at and what is easy to do without. I know in what areas, mentally, I struggled the most. I know how important it is to ask for help and when to ask for it.

On the other hand, I know how badly this sucks. Wrapping my head around that is the hard part. Staying positive in my head. Telling myself it’s only 10 weeks. Only 6 weeks of really sucky times. I can do this, and once it’s over, it’s over. I only have 2 feet, so that’s it; that’s all, folks.

So it makes me wonder, are we better off not knowing what’s ahead? I mean, wouldn’t it be great to know what life will bring our future selves? To know if our business is going to thrive. If our relationships are going to last. If our health will sustain us until our 90s. Or hey… maybe even win that damn lottery?

Wouldn’t it be nice.

Or would it?

What if the road ahead is not so smooth? Rocky. Business, relationships, health… one or all fail us? Can we be better prepared for that? Or will we dwell on how badly it will suck?

In the case of my foot surgery, it’s hardly relevant as I know this is temporary, and I will heal and be better off on the other side. But it has got me thinking. Me, I don’t think I want to know. I have been through enough and survived. I have met challenges and am stronger for them. I know life will throw some hard balls at me, and I can handle it. Some of it will suck more than others, but I will deal.

And knowing that there are also amazing things coming my way is so exciting. The surprise of what tomorrow will bring. The joys of success and lessons learned. The new people I will meet. The incredible places I will go. The triumphs my loved ones will have. So many possibilities.

So for today, I will live the best life I can live, knowing that tomorrow, I have no guarantees. I will still plan for the future. I would be stupid not to. But today, I will live. Today I will do what makes me happy, even on one foot. Today I will be positive, knowing I can handle anything.

And tomorrow (or in 10 weeks from now), I will shoe shop until I drop. Buckle up, MasterCard. It’s going to be a bumpy summer!