I got out of bed during the early morning hours of December 7th and realized as I stepped forward with my left foot that it was "asleep". It felt like I was walking on my knuckles. Most of you have probably experienced the pain of blood returning to an area where the circulation has been restricted, so it should come as no surprise that I quickly lost my balance, torqued my mid-foot and hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. I eventually made it back to bed and really had no idea whether it was sprained or broken, but I seriously hoped it would feel a lot better when I got up again to start my day.
This whole drama played out with my husband totally unaware of what had happened. I did not want to disturb his sleep because he has to get up for work very early, so he was totally caught off-guard when I hobbled into the kitchen for breakfast. We ended up at the doctor's office at 9:00am where a series of X-rays confirmed I had a broken foot, and I ended up acquiring some very stylish footwear.
 |
| Outdoor Boot & Indoor Sandal |
I had to come to grips with the fact that I could not do any recreational walking for a few weeks and decided to use this opportunity to concentrate on posting to my blogs. All was well for a few days.
Then, my computer decided to quit! One of my drives died right before we were going on a trip. Everything that occurred with me breaking my foot, having the computer die, modifications to the trip along with activities surrounding the Christmas holiday set things in motion that was almost like experiencing all the planets going out of alignment...one at a time. One might think this is an over-exaggeration, and it might be a bit, but all these things happened to occur at a time when I was just beginning to think I was starting to like living in Jacksonville.
It is a huge adjustment for a person to make as many changes as I did in 2011, and I feel like I got off to a really bad start moving here. This did not occur as a single moment like being hit by a comet but with an accumulation of bad or unpleasant experiences that made me feel like I could expect a significant struggle any day of the week. I imagine it is something like having to dodge bullets for an extended period of time. My husband might disagree with that statement, since he has actually dodged bullets. But, my point is that any type of ongoing stress can take its toll over a period of time.
Well, my computer is up and running again, my husband gave me an awesome 24-inch monitor for Christmas, and we were able to do an easy walk on flat surfaces this past weekend. I find out in a week if I can ditch the boot and sandal. I do not think it is likely I will be able to kick up my heels and dance anytime soon though. A friend sent me an email yesterday inviting me to go with her salsa dancing not knowing I had broken my foot. I cringed at what that would feel like right now.
I look forward to being able to get back to exploring Jacksonville on foot again soon!
Happy Walking!
