Maryrose came up to me yesterday and said, "have you read Margaret's piece yet??" Your newsletter has quickly become required reading in our household. In our defense, you really are good at this.
Hi Margaret, I am so happy to have stumbled upon your work today. I want to learn French and always have, and I really loved reading your story of how you found yourself in a French intensive.
I was also a snowboarder once upon a time, and bodily harm was also what made me leave it behind. I also ignored a pop on a climbing wall a few years ago, which I later learned was a big ol’ tear in my MCL that, thankfully, didn’t require surgery but did give me a giant swollen knee any time I even thought about climbing. So, I also no longer climb.
I’m really excited to read more of your work. There’s something so instructive and kinda magical about reading other people’s moments of intuition: how they feel, where they are (under the navel, in the stomach, sitting on the chest), and what happens when we decide to listen to them.
Hi Haley, thank you so much for the kind note! It's tough giving up a sport you love, but at some point you wonder... is it really worth destroying my body? My surgeon threatened the possibility of never running again and that perspective certainly made an impact. I hope you've found some other activities or ways of being outdoors to fill the snowboarding and climbing gap.
I can identify with that feeling of the little voice inside telling you it's probably not a good idea to carry on with something.
I also had a knee injury (walked into an empty gas cylinder that was placed outside my kitchen to replace with a full one; I forgot to turn on the light and bam! I felt something smash... But the following February, still with some pain, I went for a short ski break to Ergiyes in Turkey. That voice was saying "Do you really thing this is a good idea with your dodgy knee and a 6 year break from skiing (as I'd moved to Cyprus and we don't tend to get snow...) Anyway, the trip was great, my knee held up and, because of the recent earthquakes in Turkey, we had the slopes to ourselves almost!
So yeah you're a brave woman and I say keep on doing it and don't be a statistic. Just do it in France instead! Never give up, just learn some new vocabulary for potential injuries of body parts haha!
I love your honesty in these posts. Thank you for sharing, & I hope you do get some rest to take care of that knee. Physical therapy is no fun! Been there. I’m practicing being honest with myself about what my body needs, & slowly over time, that helps. 😊
Much agreed. I've had knee injuries before that I had to be really patient with (but who wants to be patient?? We just want to walk again.) There were some Ayurvedic oils I massaged into it that helped it heal faster, and swimming in a salt water pool made a big difference in improving mobility and relieving some pain.
This year I went to physical therapy for a chronic teres minor/scapula-muscle issue, and they said, "No matter what exercise you do, you have to rest those muscles the day afterward. The recovery time is part of the process." 100% worked for me. I've learned to remind myself that muscles are not machines 😂
What a cool experience! (Skiing in Turkey, not running into the gas cylinder!) And learning to tell the difference between what’s a false alarm and what’s not is certainly an art. I’ve since moved on from snowboarding to ice climbing and don’t regret it a bit!
Maryrose came up to me yesterday and said, "have you read Margaret's piece yet??" Your newsletter has quickly become required reading in our household. In our defense, you really are good at this.
I completely copied you today. I tried dropping a little video message into the beginning of mine, because you did it with yours: https://talkingbigideas.substack.com/p/mitt-romney-and-the-shaggy-implication.
Imitation being the highest form of flattery & all.
Aw thanks! I love being required reading :) Although banned would be fun too. I’ll talk to Maryrose about it.
I just read your article. It’s genius! And great video too!
Hi Margaret, I am so happy to have stumbled upon your work today. I want to learn French and always have, and I really loved reading your story of how you found yourself in a French intensive.
I was also a snowboarder once upon a time, and bodily harm was also what made me leave it behind. I also ignored a pop on a climbing wall a few years ago, which I later learned was a big ol’ tear in my MCL that, thankfully, didn’t require surgery but did give me a giant swollen knee any time I even thought about climbing. So, I also no longer climb.
I’m really excited to read more of your work. There’s something so instructive and kinda magical about reading other people’s moments of intuition: how they feel, where they are (under the navel, in the stomach, sitting on the chest), and what happens when we decide to listen to them.
Hi Haley, thank you so much for the kind note! It's tough giving up a sport you love, but at some point you wonder... is it really worth destroying my body? My surgeon threatened the possibility of never running again and that perspective certainly made an impact. I hope you've found some other activities or ways of being outdoors to fill the snowboarding and climbing gap.
Merci again! Hope you pick up French soon?
I can identify with that feeling of the little voice inside telling you it's probably not a good idea to carry on with something.
I also had a knee injury (walked into an empty gas cylinder that was placed outside my kitchen to replace with a full one; I forgot to turn on the light and bam! I felt something smash... But the following February, still with some pain, I went for a short ski break to Ergiyes in Turkey. That voice was saying "Do you really thing this is a good idea with your dodgy knee and a 6 year break from skiing (as I'd moved to Cyprus and we don't tend to get snow...) Anyway, the trip was great, my knee held up and, because of the recent earthquakes in Turkey, we had the slopes to ourselves almost!
So yeah you're a brave woman and I say keep on doing it and don't be a statistic. Just do it in France instead! Never give up, just learn some new vocabulary for potential injuries of body parts haha!
I love your honesty in these posts. Thank you for sharing, & I hope you do get some rest to take care of that knee. Physical therapy is no fun! Been there. I’m practicing being honest with myself about what my body needs, & slowly over time, that helps. 😊
Thank you! It’s certainly a work in progress - both PT and listening to your intuition!
Much agreed. I've had knee injuries before that I had to be really patient with (but who wants to be patient?? We just want to walk again.) There were some Ayurvedic oils I massaged into it that helped it heal faster, and swimming in a salt water pool made a big difference in improving mobility and relieving some pain.
This year I went to physical therapy for a chronic teres minor/scapula-muscle issue, and they said, "No matter what exercise you do, you have to rest those muscles the day afterward. The recovery time is part of the process." 100% worked for me. I've learned to remind myself that muscles are not machines 😂
What a cool experience! (Skiing in Turkey, not running into the gas cylinder!) And learning to tell the difference between what’s a false alarm and what’s not is certainly an art. I’ve since moved on from snowboarding to ice climbing and don’t regret it a bit!