Well, that wasn’t on my summer bingo card.
A few weeks ago, what I thought was a bad case of food poisoning turned into a trip to the emergency room — and a surprise appendectomy.
One minute I was living my life, making plans and welcoming friends from out of town. The next, I was in a hospital gown getting ready for surgery.
And as unexpected experiences often do, this one came with a few lessons.
Five Things My Appendectomy Reminded Me About Life
On this week’s Wish Walk, I am sharing five things this experience brought back into focus for me.
1. Get curious when something doesn’t feel right.
Your body is always communicating with you. When something feels off, that is not the moment to push through and hope for the best. That is the moment to get curious, pay attention, and ask questions.
2. Know when it is time to act.
There is a difference between patience and avoidance. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is make a decision and move. Waiting too long has its own consequences.
3. Let go of resistance.
Two days before my surgery, I had been listening to Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth — specifically the part about how the source of all suffering is resistance. What a perfectly timed reminder. When I found myself in the emergency room, I made a conscious decision to stop fighting what was happening and simply be present with it. That choice changed everything about how I experienced those hours.
4. Allow people to show up for you.
This one is harder than it sounds, especially for those of us who are more comfortable being the ones who show up for others. Letting people love you, help you, and hold space for you is its own kind of practice. And it is a beautiful one.
5. Be flexible when life has other plans.
We can plan and organize and imagine exactly how we think things are going to go. But life is going to life. The real practice is learning how to meet it — with curiosity, with grace, and without making it mean something has gone terribly wrong.
Yes, I am officially one organ lighter. But I am also incredibly grateful — for wonderful medical care, for my family and friends who rallied around me, and for another reminder that sometimes the greatest peace comes when we stop fighting the moment we are in.
Because this work — the wishing, the Wishwork, the practice of connecting with your heart — is not just for the good moments. It is what you get to draw on when life throws you a curveball.
Come take a walk with me.
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