"Exertion is a concept describing the use of physical or perceived energy. It normally connotates a strenuous or costly effort related to physical, muscular, philosophical actions and work."

*

Two days after I returned from New York to Houston, I also returned to my regular dance class.

During the warm-up I severely injured my right knee. Two weeks later, during rehab, I injured my left knee.

This was in January.

Until the middle of March I could barely walk. To this day I have less than 30% of the agility I had last year, often much less.

I can not do squats or leaps or high impact anything, a bundle of my favorites, of course. 

But fuck yes, I still shove every bit of possible movement into my day. My job, which is labor intensive, has worked around me just enough that I don't notice the changes now. My dance teachers push me to the edge of what I'm capable of, and then show me a new arm motion that skyrockets my heartrate.

I feared my heart rate would never be high again. I knew myself by how high I could jump.

By what will I know my movement self now?

*

This is the first day I returned to the class in which I became injured.

I was careful, but I pushed myself to near exhaustion -- so much had I missed this sort of endorphin-overload exertion: