Day 3 of captivity….

As most of you know I had surgery Thursday to reconnect my Achilles tendon to my heel. It was an unremarkable surgery of simply attaching filament wire to the tendon, and anchoring to my heel via plastic anchors and screws.

Day one was okay, as the nerve block was holding, however day two was a challenge as said block decided to wear off and the full force of what it feels like to have things drilled into bone became apparent. But not to worry, a wee bit of self-medication and a few (okay a lot) of choice words got me through.

So here we are to today. I realize that there are times you really must ask for help. I am blessed to have it granted. Before surgery my awesome son Neal took my grocery shopping and to the bank so I had supplies for this adventure.  A lovely lady, Sherrie that  I sold a saddle to agreed to feed my horses day and night. Jim, bless his heart did the driving and came by to help me with firewood, bringing in seedlings and various other things.  My dear friend Deborah brought me a pizza to satisfy my need for comfort food. To my delight, Dan came by and put up a ramp for me so when I have to go back to the Dr. I am able to get to the vehicle. And last, but certainly not least were the prayers sent up by friends, my bible study table, and I was blessed to have the surgeon pray with me before the surgery.

So here I am day three, figured out how to do some of the simplest things, wash my hair, tidy up a bit, how to get from my knee scooter to bed and chair without crashing into things. I cannot use my right foot for weeks. The healing takes a bit of time. I am not used to such constraints. Many have had it worse, but trauma is measured on how much you have dealt with in the past.

I have had a lot of things pass my way that were a trial, mostly emotional, and I was able to eventually handle it. But this has taught me many things.

1.       Patience. I laugh when I type this because I can’t really say I have mastered that art, but I am getting better. It is so frustrating to slow down to a crawl and take all day to do a couple of simple things.

2.      Asking for help, although nearly choked me, has shown me that inherent kindness that resides in most people. We are in a time when it appears humanity is losing it’s ability to care. I am happy to report that in my circle that just isn’t true.

3.      Dealing with disappointment. I am supposed to be in Israel right now. I booked the trip first of summer, got it paid off and was planning on a 10 day excursion through the holy land.

So now on day 3, stew is simmering on the stove, easy little projects are being completed, people are reaching out.  I will finish labeling soaps I made to take to Christmas craft fairs that will be sold likely in Spring. I do have bookkeeping work to do, and a few other life things I can take care of.

So if nothing else I want to remind you, when you feel the tug to slow down and pay attention, but you are just too busy to do so, don’t be so arrogant. Take the time to ease up when your body is tired, your mind is racing and your soul is weary. Do it when it’s your choice, before the choice is made for you. Just sayin