photo from google – not from Erin
Megan, our daughter, has known Erin Schornagle since they both interned at Dolphins Plus in Key Largo, were they worked with, well, dolphins! They were 20 and 21 then, they’re now in their early 30s. At one time after Megan moved to Orlando, she and Erin were roommates. Over the years, she has heard us talking about synchronicity and has been experiencing them herself.
Recently, she experienced what I think of as a mind-blowing synchronicity.
First, some background. Erin’s stint at Dolphin plus eventually brought about an opportunity to work at Sea World after she graduated from college. She worked there for more than 7 years and at least once a week did diving all day long (10 hour shift) for all the exhibits in the area. “We called it our ‘dive day.’ However, in my last few weeks with Sea World, I wanted overtime, so I signed up for shifts with the parks actual dive team, which is in charge of diving all over the entire park on a daily basis. So during the month of December and first week of January, it was more like 2 days a week average.” Basically, she gave her spinal column a workout. She has since left Sea World for another job.
years, dived several times a week to feed and care for the dolphins, rescued dolphins in the wild, and basically gave her spinal column a workout. She has since left Sea World for another job.
About 6 months ago, she started experiencing a lot of pain in her back. It got so bad that it became painful to sit in a car or jog or practice yoga. She found out the pain was caused by a herniated disc in her lumbar spine and tried various method to relieve the pain. But finally, Erin consented to a surgical procedure in August 2022.
I know nothing about back surgery. But just the idea of someone cutting into my spine makes me uneasy. Several months ago, we had dinner with a couple who had been rob’s yoga students for years. The wife, Susan, had terrible scoliosis of her spine and during Covid, spent 12 hours in surgery in Miami to correct it. So when Megan told us Erin was going to have back surgery, I thought of Susan.
From Erin:
“Two nights before my procedure, I met a group of friends for dinner, a nice outing before I started recovery. After this, the reality of the surgery was settling in and I felt slightly more nervous about it, in general. I had not been able to talk to anyone my age that had dealt with a problem like this and followed through with surgery.
“When I got home that night, I opened up my facebook feed one last time before bed and a photo post was the first thing to pop up on the screen. The photo was of a girl showing her lower back where there was a small scar – exactly what I knew my scar would look like (at least described to me by doctors). I went on to read the post, and was amazed when I read the following:
Injury, surgery, recovery, prevention. It’s a journey. And I started that journey at 22 years old.
Always an athlete as a child and young adult, I put my body through the ringer with no thought for injury prevention. Rest days? Yeah, I was young and didn’t need those. Stretching? Boring! I don’t really need it. No to low-impact days? I’m young!
Well, at 21 years old a doctor confirmed that I had a severely herniated a disc in my lower back. I spent about three years suffering before I even saw a doctor. Until I said I can’t do this any more. I won’t be able to walk by 30. I was developing a curve in my spine for carrying my back strangely so it wouldn’t hurt. I had to sleep in the same position every night with lots of Advil and some nights crying through the pain. Getting in and out of my low riding car was tough. Standing up after a 60 minute lecture in college? Excruciating and embarrassing that I had to limp for 5 minutes after standing before my back could support my upright position. It was a nightmare.
I tried a couple of therapies before ultimately I had a microdiscectomy. The two week recovery was HUMBLING, to put it politely. Then physical therapy afterwards was a challenge to slow myself down and really think about my body. I vowed I would protect my back from then on, heaven help me!
After years in athletics, it took an injury to make me realize that your body is actually fragile and you have to tend to it correctly. A strong core helps protect your back. Stretching helps protect your back. Hydration helps protect your back. Don’t think of fitness just as building muscle, think of it as tending and protecting its internal structure.
An injury took me out for a bit back then but ultimately taught me how to properly care for my body. This scar that I hate reminds me all the time to protect what I’ve been given.
Do you properly care for yours? Who’s with me?”
As Erin read this, she was thinking, OMG I’m with you. “Our situations were so similar going into the surgery – it was eerily similar. But it was such a relief to see someone expressing all things I was also experiencing, and being able to write them down. She had the surgery 10 years ago, and was celebrating that memory. I reached out to her right away and started asking questions, and she was very receptive and supportive.
“It was what I needed before the surgery. Thankfully in my case, my recovery period was not as severe as hers. My incision was actually internally stitched and then glued, while hers was stapled shut. Medicine moves so fast.”
This synchronicity proved to be informative and reassuring for Erin. It happened just two days before her surgery, so the timing was auspicious. It soothed whatever anxiety she was feeling. She got in and out of the clinic on the same day and we saw her about a week after the surgery, at Megan’s birthday dinner.
“I’ve got a good synchro for you, Trish,” she said when she arrived at the dinner.
I was thinking of our friend Susan – 12 hours in surgery to straighten her spine – and was shocked Erin was there. After dinner, we went to a bar to listen to music and Erin and I stepped outside so she could tell me all this.
It’s a mind-blower for several reasons:
She’s won’t ever forget it
It allowed her to perceive and experience synchronicity in a profoundly personal way
It defied the odds.
It changed how she perceives herself
