The Reality of Suffering

I'll admit it. I've had a pretty cushy life.

Haven't experienced much pain.

No great tragedies of which to speak.

Never been in utter despair.

But I've had a brush with a reality that turned my life upside down for a moment; the extent of which is yet unknown.

And I've learned that this is true. So true.

"Your most profound and intimate experiences

of worship will likely be in your darkest days -

when your heart is broken,

when you feel abandoned,

when you're out of options,

when the pain is great -

and you turn to God alone."

-Rick Warren

 

So, Whaddya Think?

Since my whole shoe inventory is fixin' to undergo a major purge, I thought I'd check into my options for supportive, neutral footwear that would protect my joints, provide stability, AND keep me from looking like a 95-year-old granny. I'm quite sure my search was unsuccessful.

Yup, I'm serious. Kohls.com - women's athletic shoes - beige.

Oh, and just for fun...

It might be worth the $50 just to see the sheer panic on the faces of my kids!

If you like them, I won't judge.  :-)

"I see you're on your feet!"

This was the exclamation of one of my little piano students who came for her lesson this morning.  "Yes, and this feels soooo much better than that wheelchair," I replied with a broad smile.  :-)

The road has been long.  Nine weeks tomorrow, to be exact.  Ten days ago, this cast was removed:

Glad I went with purple...
it withstood lots of campmeeting dirt!

My surgeon was specific about two things, and I've tried to keep them in mind -

• The broken bones have not healed, they are healing.
• Healing does not occur during periods of mobility, but during rest.

For the first few days with the walking boot, I relied heavily on my knee walker and regular walker.  I didn't expect to have such heel and leg pain, but now that I know it's normal I'm trying to walk and work through it.  The most difficult thing for me is getting over the fear that it will happen again.  The walking boot has more bulk than a cast, but I've quickly learned to be thankful for all the padding and the air that I can put in or released as needed. 

And after not being able to drive for 8 weeks and 6 days, I decided I'd had enough of that and took off for the bank and my favorite coffee shop yesterday morning.  Right foot on the gas, left foot on the brake. :-)  I picked a low traffic time, and made use of the drive thru at both places.  After reading some things online last night, I'm guessing I wasn't supposed to do it, and I can't say that it really felt comfortable or safe, so that'll probably be the extent of it for awhile. 

I'm to see the OS again Monday, and I'm thinking he'll probably wean me off the the boot.  He's also going to check my ROM to see if I need PT. My leg muscles are quite atrophied, so that's another issue that hinders balance and endurance.

Did I mention bulk?   :-)

And a bit of advice for all of us -

Have a great day!