Stairs! (one at a time…)

Greetings Blog Devotees!

I had a nice little wake up call the other day.  I came back from my first session of PT, and I felt pretty discouraged.  I was hoping to get on the bike, or in the pool, or sweat, or something!! It was boring, painful, and the PT seemed even more conservative than my surgeon.  I strolled in thinking I was going to be given the ok for some new and exciting level of athleticism.  The progress, however, was more subtle than that, unnoticeable to my eager eye at first.  I spent the evening with my dear Mama, and was seriously moping about the ridiculous looking boot, and my exaggerated limp, in general, bemoaning my fate as if it really were a Greek tragedy.  Luckily, Mom is one tough nut.  She barked at me to liven up! Be positive! Remember the great progress I was making (Cast off! One crutch! PWB!)! And ya know what? It took me a day to realize it, but she was right! (Duh, she’s always right, as I’m so often reminded!) I have to stop glaring at people on the street whilst they stroll around easily on two even-tempoed feet! I have to slow down, calm down, and remember how far I’ve come! I’ve got to enjoy even the smallest steps on this long and inconvenient BUT NOT TRAGIC ATR road! So the next morning at PT, when they strapped that ice bag to my weirdly stiff and skinny ankle, I closed my eyes and visualized myself, running, up a hill.  I visualized a great big strong calf muscle, a slender foot in a sparkly Manolo, well-pedicured feet racing across a white sandy beach and into the ocean… Ok, so I’m not there yet, but I’m on my way! Mantra: Getting better! Getting better! Getting better!

Yesterday, I ditched the crutches altogether.  Slowly, and sometimes a little sore, but one foot actually in front of the other.  (Hardest part now is finding shoes with appropriate heels so that the boot doesn’t make me lopsided). Today, I’m so pleased to report, I actually avoided taking the elevator at school! Yipee! I climbed up the stairs, and then after class, I climbed down the stairs! Down was trickier than up, but I made it (holding on to the railing) down FOUR flights! Nice one! So happy to see my classmates cheering me on! So, when another student flew by me, two feet clippety clopping, ponytail flying in her wake, purse lazily slung across one shoulder, did I glare? No! I was in a dizzy euphoria of sweet stair climbing glory! Too preoccupied by my momentary success to feel anything but love and adoration for my own well-healing heel.  Achilles was a warrior after all.

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