What Have I Learned From Breaking My Foot?

It is around 2016, and I am at a bar, on a beach, jumping on a double rope, which they have as a part of the games they organize to bring in the customers.

So I was jumping on a cord, while suddenly I fell… First, I didn’t even understand why I fell. There was no reason. Even if the rope would hit me, it’s so soft that it would just stop swinging, without any further harm. I look down, and I see a drunk girl, and her leg smashed into my leg, which nearly knocked me off. She jumped in and landed on my foot. *OUCH!*

30 Second Later After the Accident

After I remove myself from the middle of all these people, my first reaction was to laugh. I was surprised. I was in pain, and my leg was swollen, but I was laughing nonetheless. The first thing I realized was the power of positivity I was teaching for some time now. The second thing I remembered was “Joker” (yes, the one from Batman) because whenever someone is beating him up, he laughs!

I look around. No one noticed that I was in pain, or maybe they did, but I just didn’t care. After all, they are there to have fun. Even these people who knew me were not around, and to be honest, they were not my best friends by no stretch of the imagination. The girl who knocked me down was also gone. She ran away laughing, probably not noticing the damage she has caused.

I did not have time for hard feelings, so I jumped to a bar and ordered a beer for my leg. It comes to my mind to drink something too, but the last beer I drank was socially a few weeks ago, and I was not about to start drinking now.

I also thought of asking people to help me, but they would have done it already if someone helped me.

Few other ideas come to my mind. First, I had only pocket money and my phone and nothing else. There was a clinic near the beach, but equally close was my home. There, I have my wallet, insurance card, and everything else I needed.

I start jumping on one leg towards the home, but quickly got tired, so I had to stop regularly. I decide that I can’t go to my home, so I choose to go straight to the clinic, whatever happens.

15 Minutes After the Accident

On the way to the clinic, I found a few people who helped me get to the clinic. I give one guy my warm beer for helping me out. I smile all the way, asking everyone, “how are they doing.” I do continue doing this for the rest of my day.

In a clinic, they agree to have me. I just left my phone as a deposit and promised to come back the day after with money. The whole treatment comes down to 300 euros. I got some pills for swelling, painkillers, crutches, cast, and was told to go to a big hospital the next day, as where I was, there were no x-ray machines, and I need to see a proper trauma-doctor. Indeed, I could not just take a taxi to a hospital because I was on the island Koh Phi Phi, Thailand, and the next boat off the island was not leaving until the next day. I get home, no problem, and fall asleep quite quickly.

1 Day After the Accident

In the morning, I stopped by a clinic, where they treated me the night before, gave them information about my insurance company (Delta Lloyd, SOS International), paid 300 euro, and got back my phone. They told me that they have to talk to my insurance first before they know if I could get my money back. I went to the hospital.

As I was going to the hospital, I met some people who knew me and others who did not know me. Those who know me were surprised to see me walking on a cast and crutches as the night before I was okay. Many others just assumed that I felt from a scooter, as it often happens in this part of the world, but still were curious to find what happened.

Finally, I arrived at the hospital, no problem, and was received in a friendly and professional way. Of course, I was still smiling. They took an X-Ray and told me that nothing is broken, and it is just a muscle strain!

I am told that it will be a 2-6 week recovery. I receive more medications and a new cast, but this time, I can put and remove whenever I want and was informed that my insurance would most likely pay for everything except crutches and cast. I spent another 400 euro. I don’t wait for insurance confirmation and paid for everything without thinking.

I get all this money back later, over 700 euro for the whole event, for travel insurance that I pay 2,5 per month! Thank you, <3.

3 Weeks of Recovery Later & My Blessing in Disguise

Today I can walk again. Kind of…

I have spent these last 3 weeks on the same island of Koh Phi Phi. I would go up and down the road every day. I would get some food and to in the same place overlooking the main street. It was a perfect spot where I could easily communicate with people who pass by. This ritual helped me to stay sane as I could not imagine being locked in my room for 3 weeks, not seeing a single person.

It put a few things into perspective. All the drama in my life is done. As before, I want to go out, do some activities, see some people, care about who likes who, wanted to buy all these material things, and whatever else. Now, I was just happy to have my leg recovering well.

Today, I woke up happy, thinking how gifted I can walk. I took it for granted before and many other gifts in my life, and now I am just glad to be alive.

I went down the Kho Phi Phi street for a walk and saw people’s faces caring about all these irrelevant things in everyday life. I screamed: “Whatever! At least you don’t have a broken leg.” Everyone instantly agreed.

Moreover, these past 3 weeks were one of the most productive weeks of my life. I finally finished and published my book and did all sorts of other tasks, as I did not have any big distractions. I made new friends, just by sitting on the same spot every day, with people recognizing me and my injured leg, asking me what happened. And most importantly, I put what I preach to the test, and it worked! Indeed, I wrote in my book what to do if you break your leg and I broke my leg. Ironic, I know.

Finally, there is no better place to get injured than a tropical paradise island Koh Phi Phi. To put it into perspective, that’s where Leonardo DiCaprio filmed the movie The Beach (2000). I recommend everyone to visit this place at least once in their lifetime.

My last words are: Be happy to have both of your legs and be a healthy and functional human being. And even if something terrible is to happen to you, like you break your leg, look for a blessing in blessing in disguise, as I am sure you will find it!