Healing

I noticed a few days ago, that I am healing. I had a bad leg injury several months ago, which left me couch bound and hobbling for quite some time. What happened? Well….

September of last year, I was in Ottawa and fell on a cobblestone sidewalk. Falling, and finding myself having a much closer view of the concrete than I had wished for, I pushed myself back up and found a low wall to sit on. Breathe in, breathe out, that is all I concentrated on for a few minutes. Finally, I steeled myself to look at the ankle which was apparently confusing itself with a golf ball holder. I made it back to Iowa wearing a borrowed ankle boot protector thing.
Physical therapy, a different boot, and very flat shoes followed. But, just this last week after walking about five miles, I was sore the next few days. I could feel the muscles complaining. Complaining, but not injured, a little sore but not debilitated. It was a realization which hit me again, my leg is healing!
From pain that took my breath away and led the world to dim before my eyes to a small complaint, it didn’t occur overnight but it did occur. Healing from bad sprains (I won’t go into the more gross injury parts), healing from emotional hurts, from hopes that have been dashed or plans that have been crashed, healing does occur. It is not quick, not overnight, but gradually one day – you realize that you just walked five miles and feel great!

Blogging

This blogging thing is obviously very new for me. I decided to jump in and make the leap as a combination of a recent ankle injury which has me sitting with one leg laying up on pillows as if a fairy tale prop and the other that I love to write. A recent conference also spoke to the importance of understanding this new, and rapidly world changing, technology. Yes - world changing technology. I think it's incredible! I mean, we have gone from a world that was mainly stationary to one where we move across oceans, talk with virtual neighbors that can be nine time-zones away, and skype with our friends and family. How cool is that!!!

Anyway, the leg injury.... you know, I wish I had some great story. I have had several suggested to me, bar fight, attacked by trainer gone wild at a conference, crazed Parliamentary guard attacks.... Unfortunately, the real story is not quite so much fun. There are these beautiful sidewalks in Ottawa, stones that are very precisely laid out. Unfortunately, the heel of my brown pumps slid into one of those crevices between the stones. And woosh! I went down. Let me just say - air casts are wonderful! I made it back, through the conference, through customs, through security, through a layover with an air cast and largely due to the kindness of people around me.

You know, I think we all have moments when we ask who our neighbors are. Love my neighbor? Sure - I have great neighbors! But, is my neighbor just the person that the house is near? I was made a neighbor to people I had never met before, who live in a different country than I do. They went above and beyond over and over. Go find your neighbors - they just may be half way around the world, or just around the corner.