My therapist said I’m “salvageable”. That’s an exact quote from Mike Ryan at Leading Edge Physical Therapy. Yes, after 5 weeks of therapy he proclaimed me not hopelessly broken. I was encouraged. Then I went back and they put grocery bags on my feet and told me to walk in a bubble.
True story. I literally laughed out loud and before I could stop myself said – “Sweet Jesus you all have lost your dang mind,” followed by “This has to be a joke, right? Where are the cameras?”
It was no joke. Because I was feeling better, my therapy was progressing to new levels. My desire to jump out the window has subsided and I am sure to graduate soon. But there was still work to do so that meant a walk in the AlterG, an anti-gravity treadmill. But first I had to don grocery bags on my shoes and slip into the humpty dumpty pants. That was therapy in itself. I looked around for the candid camera people. At this point, my outbursts of “Sweet Jesus this is insane” ensured that all eyes in the place were on me. Well, I thought, at least I was keeping these folks from running out the door. Public servant I am. A bunch of tugging later and I had the cone of shame around my waist and was stepping into the balloon covered treadmill.
As the thing inflated around me, I hollered for my son to take a few photos while pronouncing this experience “blog-worthy” for sure. Yes, I hollered for Austin. Surprisingly he was not mortified by the scene I was creating. He was cracking up as he was there for his own physical therapy, albeit more advanced than mine. #showoff.
There was now a balloon around my bottom half, zippers around my waist, a button to remove my body weight (Oh if ONLY this worked outside the bubble), and a camera monitoring every step I took. 10 minutes forward and 5 minutes backward. I was so mesmerized by the screen in front of me that I barely noticed the time tick away. As odd as it was, it was actually… well, fun.
No longer did I want to run away. My therapist may or may not have been glad about that. Nevertheless, I was doing what she said. I was listening to her and walking in a bubble because she asked me to. It was a great experience and I’ve actually done it twice now. Both times, my therapist said “come walk in the bubble” (or something a bit more technical, but you get the point.)
Come. Walk.
A message my pastor had recently given bubbled up in my mind.
“Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. Matthew 14:29
When Jesus bid him come, Peter stepped out in faith. He stepped out of the comfort of the boat and onto the Sea of Galilee. Think about how utterly bizarre it must have been for Peter to be walking on top of the water! Yet there he was…walking…on the water…to Jesus. Jesus called to him and Peter was obedient. He didn’t jump out of the boat before being called and he didn’t refuse to go when he was. He trusted the leading of Jesus and walked. Of course then he started freaking out about the wind and the waves around him and slipped beneath the surface. That is until Jesus stretched out his arm and pulled him back up. (There’s a separate powerful message in that.) The experience of walking on the water would no doubt transform Peter in his relationship with Christ as well as play a pivotal role in his development as the cornerstone of the early church.
For me, being asked to walk in the “bubble” was a big step, pun intended. But doing so ended up being a good thing and helped me progress in my course of therapy preparing me for more difficult things later on. Had I refused, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Has Jesus bid you come? Have you stepped out in faith? Or are you still in the boat?
Come. Walk.
