but…halloween found me a bit silly, and i hurt my foot. after an agonizing morning of "what did i do?" "why is my foot so gigantic?" and my housemate wondering why i was trudging around the apartment using his baseball bat, i hobbled to urgent care for the start of x-rays, examinations and future appointments to find out how much i actually hurt my foot.
it's not broken, but a pretty bad sprain with a potential ligament tear (surgery). doc said we won't know how severe until i just stay off of it and let it heal for 6 weeks. really? 6 weeks???
i spent the first week incredibly sore and exhausted in almost any way imaginable. moving myself from point a to point b became physically draining on crutches. having to confront the reality of my irresponsibility about 15 times each day when people asked what happened was emotionally draining. and strategically planning my future moves to minimize the aforementioned concerns exhausted my mental capacity (on top of being a graduate student!).
i did manage to attend a professional conference in minneapolis, made much more enjoyable by being wheeled about the airport and getting to speed through security! instead of morning runs in the park and casual networking, i enjoyed learning about uber and relishing in the cozy airbnb i shared with other from my school attending the conference.
the second week has been better. i miss so many of the activities that give me joy like dancing, running, riding my bike, spending time outside, and being an active member of my community, but here are some of the upsides:
- water conservation: i take like one bath a week. and maybe (maybe) wash my hair in between.
- saving money on groceries: i don't expend too many calories these days, so i'm really not hungry much. saving lots of money on groceries!
- netflix: finally watching orange is the new black. i watched 7 episodes yesterday.
- tackling the side projects: those "side" projects are now my main digs!
- becoming a pirate: yup. i'm getting a peg leg!
- measuring progress in the little things: like my toes being the same size, and getting faster at crawling up the stairs to my apartment.
i'm optimistic that this is will be a good time in my life to reflect on where i am, and where i want to be. but it still stinks when i see my calf muscles withering away, and i know i have the tribulations of physical therapy ahead…
