(image from orthotape)

Supposedly I am one week away from getting out of my boot.  My boot looks pretty much like the one above, but mine doesn’t have the cute blue thing and is slightly big on me.  My boot and crutches are hand-me downs from a teenage boy who broke his foot last summer.  Since I can’t really go shopping for one in my size, I am grateful for what I have.   I am also thankful I have a boot instead of a cast since I am able to take it off at night.  Lately I have managed hobbling around the house without crutches which has made me feel more independent.  Since I have a lot of time on my hands as I am waiting to heal, I thought I would share a few lessons I am learning.

1.  My foot will heal.  When my foot was first injured, it seemed like the pain and inconvenience would last forever.  With some time, rest, and following the doctor’s instructions, my foot is healing.  I can hobble around without crutches and instead of pain, I mostly have discomfort.  The progress makes me believe that in time I will walk normally again.  In life, we often have wounds, emotional ones, that we think will never heal.  It is good to remember that with time and the help of the master healer that these wounds can heal as well.  The pain can become less and even one day we may find that we can walk normally again.

2. God provides.  I broke my foot playing volleyball.  Who knew that there were at least two doctors at the event to help figure out what to do?  Who knew that I have a doctor down the street who makes house calls and had a crutch and boot I could use?  God did.  He has provided help through my family and friends.  He has provided strength to finish school on crutches.  He has provided more than enough for my needs.

3. Service is character building for my children.  Helping your mom out for one week is one thing.  For four or more weeks is another.   It has been good for them to see actually what their mom does each day and to get a taste of what it is like for them to do those same tasks.  Now it is not that we haven’t had some whining or comments like “Aren’t you doing better, can’t you do it?”  Overall, it has been good for them and I pray God is using this experience to give them a heart of service.  

4. It is okay to ask for help.  I am independent.  I like to do things myself.  But when you are hobbling around on crutches, you have to ask for help.  Which leads to #5.

5. People like to help others.  Except maybe my son once in a while, everyone I asked was happy to help me out whether it was carrying my things up the stairs or covering a class when I need to go get my foot x-rayed. 

6. People aren’t sure what to say about your foot.  Me, I would prefer talking about the weather but especially here they want to talk about my foot and if it is better.  It is almost as if they want it to get better faster than I do which I don’t think is possible.  

7. Crutches make great props to wave around when students are having trouble staying focused.  They are also useful for turning off lights from a distance.  

8. Between the crutches and walking around on my boot, I am using muscles I had forgotten I had.  Hopefully by the end of this, my arms and other less used muscles will be stronger.

9. It’s important to know your limits.  The last few weeks of school I had to focus on finishing school and saying no to other things.  Now that school is out, I am spending lots of time at home.  Going out wears me out and it is often hard to navigate my way around.  For now, this is a season of rest even though I am ready for some more activity.

10. It is important to make the most of each season.  For me, this is a season of rest and recovery.  Even though I have watched too much TV, it has been nice to get caught up on my reading and to have time for longer quiet times.  I have even been blogging more and working on my language learning.  Right now I must admit, I am getting a little stir crazy but hopefully in a week or so I will be in a new season where I am more active.