Physical Therapist

Tribute to Physical Therapist

Beauty comes in many different forms. I won't pretend to be an expert on beauty, but I can tell you one thing: it sure seemed like there was a lot less of it after my surgery. It wasn't just not being able to walk without crutches, although that was a big part. It was the feeling of staying still while the rest of the world was still moving. Like a cruise ship casualty, I was watching my entire world float away.

The process of rehabilitation seemed hopeless at first. My physical therapists, experts though they may have been, did nothing for me. Some were detached and unable to connect; others were soft, and unsuited to the challenge of pushing beyond strength into that peculiar region in which humans experience growth.

And that's why Pam was so remarkable. I had long since given up my prospects of full recovery, and I felt jaded and bitter. At first, I found it surprising that it was at this moment that I found beauty; but Charlie Chaplin said that "beauty is an omnipresence of death and loveliness, a smiling sadness that we discern in nature and all things" (Quotations). So perhaps it was appropriate that then, at my lowest point, I found my beauty -- and my miracle.

I remember telling her my goal of learning to walk without crutches. She answered that I might not get there, but that it all depends on how hard I worked. Those words were magical. Not only did they relate honesty, a virtue which physical therapists have all but forgotten, but also empowerment.

For two months, Pam pushed me to my limit, encouraged me when I was down, and -- literally and figuratively -- got me back on my feet. And now, standing here, all I can say is: Pam, you're beautiful.

Works Cited

Quotations by Topic." Quoteland. 5 Dec. 2006 http://www.quoteland.com/topic.asp?CATEGORY_ID=15.