Sometimes you don’t know you have been gone until you are back. We all know how we feel on a good day or a bad day, but do we ever pay attention to the in-between days? Those days that are just okay, not wonderful, but ok. Just over a year ago I damaged my knee pretty bad. I was hobbling around on a cane for months. I managed to do everyday things, but with limitations. I’m not one to quit and give up, but it was really hard to accept I had to slow down and find different ways of doing things.
Many things frustrated me. I had trouble keeping up when I would go shopping with my daughter and granddaughter. That really was a bummer. I felt a bit like the “red-headed step child” as I had to stop and rest while they trotted off to the next store. I think the biggest thing was not being about to keep up my housework to my normal standards. I hated that I couldn’t move things around to vacuum and clean. I did the best I could with what I could reach, but I would vacuum under things instead of moving them. I knew I was not performing up to par when a couple of months ago I moved a chair to change the slipcovers on my den chairs and found a petrified bird that clearly had been there a long, long time. Ewe!!! I had actually reached the point of considering hiring someone to come in to help with the cleaning and boy oh boy that did not sit well with my pride and self-esteem. I just told myself, you can do it—you can do it, just a little bit here and a lit bit there and it will be done.
In the past few weeks I could feel my energy and strength returning and slowly I began to return to my old way of cleaning. This week we bought a new gas logs heater for our den and half of the house is in disarray as the new heater is being assembled in the living room and the old one is being disassembled in the den. This project is going to have things out of sorts for most of the week. To add to the adventure we have had a bat in the house for a week and couldn’t catch it until last night. As I was cleaning the bedroom today I found his little pile of poopie, double ewe, but today I had the strength and energy to move the required furniture and get it cleaned up. As I was tackling this little project it dawned on me…”I’m back”. This is how I’m supposed to feel and function. I’m not sure if it’s that time has finally reached a good healing point, answered prayers or if the new routine of taking coconut oil is making a difference or a combination of things. But the point is, I made it, I’m back. I have to remind myself that I still can’t do steps, curbs, and inclines, but when it comes to level spaces I’m good to go. I also have to remind myself not to get to excited and over do things.
One of my favorite sayings about dealing with a large project or problem is that it’s like eating an elephant; just take it one bite at a time. Well, I think I’m about through with this elephant.
It's The Thought That Counts 