The Parable of the Cankles

You know what cankles are, right? It is the seamless blend of calf into ankle accomplished by inflammation, obesity, athleticism or a combination of the three. The affected leg takes on the shape of a summer sausage with a human foot at the end. ~ Urban Dictionary

I have been suffering from cankles ~ sore, swollen, inflamed feet, ankles and calves when the skin is so tight it feels like it will burst. I have developed this condition after I’ve eaten something at a restaurant or café.

Lesson I ~ Seeing Isn’t Believing

I have discovered from this experience that looks can be deceiving. Even though my ankles have disappeared, my toes look like cheerios, and I can’t see the veins in my feet, my legs aren’t fat.

It might look like fat, but it is simply water retention and can disappear overnight. And even though I am not fond of the way my legs appear, I don’t feel the urge to ‘do’ anything to fix them. I accept that they will go back to normal in their own time. And that is exactly what happens.

This lesson makes me question my perception about other parts of my body. Are they really fat? Or are they swollen because they are in the process of healing. Can I feel as neutral about my stomach and thighs as I do about my temporarily swollen legs?

Lesson II ~ I Deserve Pleasure

Louise L Hay says that every sickness and disease (dis-ease) has an emotional and mental cause. Healthy ankles represent the ability to receive pleasure. Sick ankles indicate inflexibility and guilt.

Is it possible that when I eat at a restaurant I am still feeling guilty about eating food that was previously ‘off plan’? Am I OK with food I prepare myself but unable to receive the pleasure of restaurant delights? My affirmation is ~ I deserve to rejoice in life. I accept all the pleasure life has to offer.

Lesson III ~ You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Till It’s Gone

For the most part, I take my legs and feet for granted. I can effortless jog and walk without a second thought. Having painful cankles for a day can really highlight how lucky I am to have a pair of healthy, functioning legs. I think they call it a contrast experience ~ you don’t cherish happiness if you’ve never been sad, and you don’t cherish your legs if you’ve never had cankles.

Have you ever had a mystery condition that has been sent to teach you some important lesson? Did it disappear once you figured out the message you were meant to hear?

Did You Know

• Some physical diseases are thought to be particularly prone to be made worse by mental factors such as stress and anxiety. For example, psoriasis, eczema, stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart disease. It is thought that the actual physical part of the illness, (the extent of a rash, the level of the blood pressure, etc) can be affected by mental factors. This is difficult to prove. However, many people with these, and other physical diseases, say that their current mental state can affect how bad their physical disease is at any given time.
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  It is well known that the mind can cause physical symptoms. For example, when we are afraid or anxious we may develop: a fast heart rate, palpitations, feeling sick, shaking (tremor), sweating, dry mouth, chest pain, headaches, a ‘knot in the stomach’, and fast breathing. These physical symptoms are due to an ‘overdrive’ of nervous impulses sent from the brain to various parts of the body, and to the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream when we are anxious. ~ Psychosomatic Disorders
• UPDATE: I ate out at a Thai Restaurant and had noodles, roti and shit loads of wine last night and … NO cankles … YAY!

→ photo : whitneyinchicago [who doesn’t have cankles at all, it’s just the angle of the photo]