3.6 Alayna Stevenson Writing 2

 Not According To Plan

Four years ago, as a senior in high school, I faced a debilitating injury that forever changed the course of my life. I was ranked fourth in Wyoming as a competitive pole vaulter. I was also an Airman in the Air National Guard. On a rainy day in April of 2017, I ran a 5k with my unit to raise awareness for domestic abuse. Before I crossed the finish line, I managed to tear a tendon in my leg, ankle, and foot. 

Initially, the pain was manageable. It felt no worse than a sprain. But while running laps a couple of days later, I fell to the ground in excruciating pain. Tears streamed down my face as a stabbing pain shot through my leg. The final track season of my high school career ended that day, but my father would tell me: "when God closes one door, He often opens another." So even though I couldn't continue vaulting, I determined that I could wait patiently for another door to open.

I spent the next few months tediously caring for my injury until the doctor determined that I needed surgery to reconstruct the tendon. The news was discouraging, but I wanted to do whatever it took to get back to duty. After recovery from surgery was over, my pain remained, and my doctor declared it a chronic injury. At the time, there was nothing more discouraging to me than hearing my doctor tell me, "you'll likely never run pain-free again." The continuous nature of my injury determined me to be unfit for duty, so I was discharged from the military. 

My plan for my life fell apart that day I injured my leg, I had to re-evaluate everything that I wanted to do. It took me time to rebuild my goals and discover what else I could be passionate about. It certainly wasn't a simple task, but it was worth the time it took to find the other door that God opened after closing so many.

Ultimately, I enjoy where I am today much more than I enjoyed where I was going back then. I never would have gotten here if I had never got injured. So while the injury and the months after were difficult at the time, it taught me some important life lessons. When life isn't going according to plan, I encourage you to be patient while searching for other opportunities. Sometimes the door that opens when every other door is closing ends up being the best one for us to walk through.