I smashed my left pinky toe into a door frame, hurt like a mother. Went and got it X-rayed and yep, fractured. A month later, at a routine podiatrist visit, my toe was still swollen and purple, and the nail had darkened. I explained to the doctor that I had fractured it and was worried something was wrong. He looked closely at my poor little toe and said calmly, “You’ve actually done a great job taking care of it.”
His words caught me off guard, especially because I had been convinced the healing process wasn’t going well. The doctor explained that sometimes recovery looks messy on the outside even when the body is doing exactly what it should. Bruises, swelling, and color changes are simply signs of the work happening underneath. He reassured me that healing has stages, and each one is part of the journey. His gentle explanation made me breathe easier.
Walking out of the clinic, I started reflecting on how often I judge myself in the same way I judged that toe. When things don’t look perfect or progress feels slow, it’s easy to assume we’re failing. But just like the healing process, growth isn’t always visible right away. Sometimes we’re doing better than we think—we just need someone to help us see it. That small moment taught me more about patience than I expected.
Over the next few weeks, I treated my foot with a little more compassion and watched gradual improvement unfold. Each tiny change reminded me that progress doesn’t have to be dramatic to be meaningful. What felt like an inconvenience became a quiet lesson in trusting the process. Healing—whether physical or emotional—takes time, kindness, and a little faith. And sometimes, even a tender toe can teach us to be gentler with ourselves.