Lucky Life, Unlucky Fall

A couple of weeks ago I was playing tennis with Chad. I was up at the net, and he hit one over my head. I backpedaled to get it, and as I was hitting it back I tripped over my own feet. Instinctually, I threw my left arm back to brace my fall. The concrete was less than forgiving, resulting in the nasty bruise on my arm and a matching one on my left hip. I wish there was video of it, because I'm sure it looked pretty funny.
I thought I had broken something, but the X-rays came back negative. Nevertheless, for the first 48 hours after the injury I couldn't move my left arm at all without extreme pain. Now, almost two full weeks later, it's definitely better but still a long ways from normal. Some very simple movements cause very sharp pain, I still can't lift more than a couple of pounds with my left arm, and I can't sleep on my left side because of the pain in my hip and arm.
Before the fall, I was doing some form of cardio 4-5 times per week. Tennis one to twice a week, basketball once or twice a week, and running a couple of miles on the other days. For the first week after the fall, I wasn't able to do anything, and since then I've only been able to run on the elliptical, with my left arm pinned to my body. Tennis, basketball, or real running are out of the question. Even writing this blog isn't a pain-free experience.
The point of this isn't for you to feel sorry for me. I have been blessed beyond measure in every aspect of my life. But this injury has given me a much better perspective on life.
It's amazing how much stuff I took for granted. Simple tasks like shaving, shampooing and driving a car became very difficult and painful in the blink of an eye. I still can't do turning motions with my left wrist, so when I drive I have to turn the wheel with only my right arm. I can't push or turn the lawn mower, so my wife has to do our lawnwork until I get better.
I've twisted my ankles several times, but this is the first time in my life I've had an arm injury like this (the ankle stuff isn't fun, but after hobbling around for a couple days they heal pretty fast). What did I do to deserve 32 years of perfectly convenient life? Nothing, I've just been blessed by the Lord.
Others aren't as fortunate. When someone takes 10 minutes to walk down the cereal aisle in front of me, I get irritated instead of thanking God that I don't have chronic arthritis or whatever might be ailing them. I've been noticing this in a lot of different ways, not always physically. Sometimes other people make decisions that make me mad. Maybe they weren't blessed with the upbringing I had, taught to know the difference between right and wrong.
Instead of focusing on how their decisions or afflictions affect me, I need to be focusing on how they affect them. How much better would my life be if my heart poured out compassion and grace instead of selfishness and complaining?
That's what God's been showing me ever since my accident. Might not apply to you, but I thought I'd pass it on anyway.