You know,
here at this crossroads,
I want to go where
the fire is.
I want to go
where you didn’t take
me, to the sirens
falling over the river,
to the river burning.
Wednesday 13 April 2011
Joys of A Broken Ankle
Today my ankle cast comes off. It's been six weeks, and while I don't feel like "it's gone fast," as everyone else seems to think, I am really grateful for this time. A broken ankle brings strange joys. My dear friend Whitney chronicled her broken foot joys months ago, and we have some overlap. Unlike Whitney, I'm making my list at the end, now that all my joys have accrued. She made her list in the beginning to cheer herself up, and then watched as they all came true. My list is not in any particular order. They're all equally joyful.
1) I sleep more. Anyone who knows me well knows that in the name of anxiousness, and getting things done, I habitually sleep-deprive myself. But with a broken ankle, I really have no reason not to get 8 hours, and in the first week or so, when my body was still a bit traumatized from the fall I took (climbing rocks), I was getting 10. New (and very attainable) life goal: prioritizing sleep. It makes me happier, more patient, and more creative.
2) Vivid, sometimes prophetic dreams. 'Nuff said.
3) Friends stopping by unannounced, often with food.
4) Taking up quilting.
5) Taking up the ukelele (thanks to Josh, who brought me a ukelele).
6) Re-taking up embroidery as an art form.
7) Reading lots.
8) My crutches double as arms. I can turn on the radio at the bookstore, (although someone else has to put CD's in for me), and I can warningly poke troublesome people who get too close.
9) A broken ankle keeps me present.
10) My yoga practice has actually become stronger. Because the poses I can do are fairly limited, I've gotten very creative. Also I laugh a lot when I'm doing my one legged yoga routine. Friends have confirmed that I look as silly as I feel.
11) Piggyback rides.
12) I discovered how much I love Sudoku puzzles.
13) In the name of bone health, I kicked my coffee habit. I don't miss it right now.
14) All the foods I'm supposed to be eating are my favorites: green leafies (especially brassicas), apples, raisins, oats, sweet potatoes, pineapples (which I don't usually eat, but am indulging in). Also peanut butter. I discovered late in the game that this was on the bone health list, but don't worry, I'm taking advantage.
15) We started turning over our garden last weekend, and while everyone else digs, I just sun myself on the giant wooden spool and look up things like "how to prune rue" in the garden book.
16) I have as much writing time as I could possibly wish for. I haven't felt this way since I was in school. Come to think of it, I may have more writing time than I did in school.
17) People who care about me, who wouldn't otherwise let themselves be conned into playing my favorite nerdy word game, come over to play with me once or twice a week minimum. You know who you are, you have made me very happy, and thank you.
18) People I don't even know terribly well have very sincerely told me not to hesitate to call them, and I haven't, and now I have new friends.
19) I'm learning more about healing herbs. I made a particularly timely purchase at Talking Leaves right before my injury. It's a really beautiful, and very comprehensive herb book. I started by reading about herbs for a broken bone (arnica for bruising and trauma, comfrey as a bone knitter, nettle and tumeric to reduce inflammation)--but I kept reading.
20) I'll be a smarter climber when I get back to it. My injury stemmed from a moment in which I did not listen to myself. Important lesson that I've learned before, in life. A broken bone really drives that lesson home. Listen to yourself. Especially when climbing rocks unharnessed.
21) I turned to meditation when I first broke my ankle because there was a surgeon telling me he thought it would be a good idea to put a metal plate and a few metal screws into my bone. I was a little freaked out. After the scare passed (and thankfully, no, I didn't need the surgery), I continued my meditation practice. Partly because it made some of my tightening muscles feel looser, but it also just made me feel good. Straight up, old fashioned, good old good.
22) I've worn velour tracksuit pants to the grocery store multiple times. Also to work. Yes, people, I own velour tracksuit pants.
23) People tell me how tough I am for breaking my while ankle rock climbing. And I don't think it makes me tough. I think it makes me a little stupid. But still, I don't mind if people think I'm tough.
24) Gratitude. I live with more gratitude, and with more gratitude, I find, generally, more joy. I notice other people with handicaps more, and see a lot of cases more permanent than mine. I'm grateful my mind is strong, I'm grateful for the little cat that we adopted one cold night in March, who is now keeping me company, I'm grateful for all the people this past month and a half who have made having a broken ankle easy for me, and helped me without me asking. The gratitude list could go on for a while, so I'll stop. I'm grateful to be grateful.
25) Learning how to dance on one leg. Both impressive and comical.
26) Writing letters.
27) No multi-tasking! I hate it, I'm bad at it. And now I can't do it.
28) Reiki. The thing everyone says about reiki is that you have to believe in it. But I went in as half a skeptic, and it blew my mind. Thank you Michelle.
29) I know more about what is going on the lives of the people I care about, because they visit me and I listen and listen and listen. And that's really a gift. Because I have all this time to relax, and I can share that energy.
30) More time to work on songs.
There is more, but I have just enough time to get a couple hours of writing and some uke playing in before my appointment to get this fiberglass deadweight sawed off my leg. Supposedly it will be really gross in there--some atrophied muscle, some mildew, and a Liliputian or two. I'll check back in.
1) I sleep more. Anyone who knows me well knows that in the name of anxiousness, and getting things done, I habitually sleep-deprive myself. But with a broken ankle, I really have no reason not to get 8 hours, and in the first week or so, when my body was still a bit traumatized from the fall I took (climbing rocks), I was getting 10. New (and very attainable) life goal: prioritizing sleep. It makes me happier, more patient, and more creative.
2) Vivid, sometimes prophetic dreams. 'Nuff said.
3) Friends stopping by unannounced, often with food.
4) Taking up quilting.
5) Taking up the ukelele (thanks to Josh, who brought me a ukelele).
6) Re-taking up embroidery as an art form.
7) Reading lots.
8) My crutches double as arms. I can turn on the radio at the bookstore, (although someone else has to put CD's in for me), and I can warningly poke troublesome people who get too close.
9) A broken ankle keeps me present.
10) My yoga practice has actually become stronger. Because the poses I can do are fairly limited, I've gotten very creative. Also I laugh a lot when I'm doing my one legged yoga routine. Friends have confirmed that I look as silly as I feel.
11) Piggyback rides.
12) I discovered how much I love Sudoku puzzles.
13) In the name of bone health, I kicked my coffee habit. I don't miss it right now.
14) All the foods I'm supposed to be eating are my favorites: green leafies (especially brassicas), apples, raisins, oats, sweet potatoes, pineapples (which I don't usually eat, but am indulging in). Also peanut butter. I discovered late in the game that this was on the bone health list, but don't worry, I'm taking advantage.
15) We started turning over our garden last weekend, and while everyone else digs, I just sun myself on the giant wooden spool and look up things like "how to prune rue" in the garden book.
16) I have as much writing time as I could possibly wish for. I haven't felt this way since I was in school. Come to think of it, I may have more writing time than I did in school.
17) People who care about me, who wouldn't otherwise let themselves be conned into playing my favorite nerdy word game, come over to play with me once or twice a week minimum. You know who you are, you have made me very happy, and thank you.
18) People I don't even know terribly well have very sincerely told me not to hesitate to call them, and I haven't, and now I have new friends.
19) I'm learning more about healing herbs. I made a particularly timely purchase at Talking Leaves right before my injury. It's a really beautiful, and very comprehensive herb book. I started by reading about herbs for a broken bone (arnica for bruising and trauma, comfrey as a bone knitter, nettle and tumeric to reduce inflammation)--but I kept reading.
20) I'll be a smarter climber when I get back to it. My injury stemmed from a moment in which I did not listen to myself. Important lesson that I've learned before, in life. A broken bone really drives that lesson home. Listen to yourself. Especially when climbing rocks unharnessed.
21) I turned to meditation when I first broke my ankle because there was a surgeon telling me he thought it would be a good idea to put a metal plate and a few metal screws into my bone. I was a little freaked out. After the scare passed (and thankfully, no, I didn't need the surgery), I continued my meditation practice. Partly because it made some of my tightening muscles feel looser, but it also just made me feel good. Straight up, old fashioned, good old good.
22) I've worn velour tracksuit pants to the grocery store multiple times. Also to work. Yes, people, I own velour tracksuit pants.
23) People tell me how tough I am for breaking my while ankle rock climbing. And I don't think it makes me tough. I think it makes me a little stupid. But still, I don't mind if people think I'm tough.
24) Gratitude. I live with more gratitude, and with more gratitude, I find, generally, more joy. I notice other people with handicaps more, and see a lot of cases more permanent than mine. I'm grateful my mind is strong, I'm grateful for the little cat that we adopted one cold night in March, who is now keeping me company, I'm grateful for all the people this past month and a half who have made having a broken ankle easy for me, and helped me without me asking. The gratitude list could go on for a while, so I'll stop. I'm grateful to be grateful.
25) Learning how to dance on one leg. Both impressive and comical.
26) Writing letters.
27) No multi-tasking! I hate it, I'm bad at it. And now I can't do it.
28) Reiki. The thing everyone says about reiki is that you have to believe in it. But I went in as half a skeptic, and it blew my mind. Thank you Michelle.
29) I know more about what is going on the lives of the people I care about, because they visit me and I listen and listen and listen. And that's really a gift. Because I have all this time to relax, and I can share that energy.
30) More time to work on songs.
There is more, but I have just enough time to get a couple hours of writing and some uke playing in before my appointment to get this fiberglass deadweight sawed off my leg. Supposedly it will be really gross in there--some atrophied muscle, some mildew, and a Liliputian or two. I'll check back in.
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