The good news: it’s been a good week, health-wise. On Monday, I went to the orthopedist. My ankle bone is officially healed and I’m out of the cast. For now, I don’t need any physical therapy and I’m able to walk, basically, although it’s quite painful. On Tuesday, I got my first Covid vaccine. I felt marginally icky afterward but it’s all better now. I’m thankful to work for a school district that considers their subs teachers and very eager to get back to the classroom at last! I miss the kids!
I was amazed at how many people were getting the vaccines. My favorite was a very elderly gentleman in overalls with an oxygen tank. He was surrounded by nurses who were checking his pulse and oxygen levels afterwards to ensure he was safe to leave. He kept saying, with an adorable Colorado farmer accent, “Ma’am, I do assure you I am just fine. I’ve been waitin’ for this here vaccine for ages and I am eager to go out an’ kick this here virus’ ass.”
I’ve been given exercises to do at home to strengthen my muscles in my ankle. Many of them are the same stretches and calf raises I used to do at kickboxing, but now they hurt tremendously and I’m very slow. Of course, I know this is to be expected but it’s disheartening. The most irritating one is The Towel. I put a towel on the floor and I put my foot on it, and I have to scrunch it up with my toes and pull it toward me. So far, I cannot do it. I scrunch and scrunch and scrunch and cannot move it. A comes over and says, “Look, it’s so easy!” and pulls that towel all the way, and wanders off. And I scrunch away and make no progress. In fact, I’m working on it as I’m writing this and that damn towel is not scrunched. The doctor says this is the hardest of the exercises and eventually as my muscles recover it will move, but it’s so frustrating. And by the end of ten minutes, my instep is burning, so I know I did exercise.
And did I ever think one of my goals would be to scrunch up a towel with my toes? It’s interesting where our lives lead us, isn’t it? In six weeks, I’ll be able to do that and kick Covid’s ass, and be back in the classroom too. One step at a time.
It is working. At the beginning of the week, my foot hurt so much I could hardly stand it, but I’m moving around at a decent clip now. I’m so excited to be moving again. I want to cook again, and start seeds for spring. I got a mini greenhouse for Christmas that I’m so excited to build, and A wants to start her seeds. Kickboxing and hiking have to wait, but I’ll get there.
Edge Pieces 