Oops, I did it Again…
When I was a child, I would regularly fall down my grandparents’ stairs because they had a loose step. When I would crash-land at the bottom of the landing, which was thankfully carpeted, I would pronounce “oh no…not again”. This has been a running joke in my family for decades and would be mentioned whenever I visited. I believe my Aunt Janet would remind me of this every time I would visit, as she was the one who always took care of me when I stayed at my grandparents.
My Aunt passed away from cancer this year and one of the things I will miss the most is being reminded about my childhood foibles. As I have a tendency to laugh at myself on a regular basis, I didn’t get annoyed at my family for reminding me of my clumsiness, or the fact that I beat up a boy who was twice my size because he wouldn’t stop harassing me, or that a friend and I crashed her dad’s car into a wall at the ripe old age of 8 thereby learning some of my “colorful” language. These stories brought us together in mutual affection. I miss her….
Because I miss her, it made my recent accident even more frustrating as I couldn’t tell her about it so that we could add to my plethora of mishap stories. You see, a few weeks ago, I broke my ankle on a flight of stairs with a wobbly step (the rise was also off). What’s worse is that it was hotel steps, and I was carrying multiple beverages (including coffee). The liquids, my purse, and my shoes went flying. It was as if I had exploded all over the entire flight of stairs. (We were at the hotel because our house wasn’t livable yet and the AirBnB had been rented to others.) I had to call Jeff to come scrape me off the stairs and help me get to the doctor for X-rays. I will fully admit that I said “some words.” I can admit this now as I have already confessed this fact to Pastor Tim (and believe me, I could have made a sailor blush).
After the diagnosis confirmed that I had indeed broken the stupid thing, Jeff took me to get crutches and one of those wheelie carts. My kids thought I should put flames down the side of the cart…. I probably should have put caution signs on it, as it took me a bit to get used to driving the thing. Needless to say, the last few weeks have been rough.
We have moved into the basement of our fixer as it now has a functioning bathroom. What I didn’t think about when showering for the first time in the bath was how high the sides of the tub were. I managed to get into the tub just fine. I showered off with the handheld while sitting on the tub floor which was blissful as Richard, our contractor, had amped up the heat on the water heaters.
What I hadn’t taken into consideration was how difficult it would be to get out of the tub. That was a HUGE mistake. Between my big backside and the giant boot that I had to put back on after showering, I didn’t have enough room to maneuver to get out safely. After 20 minutes of Jeff and I trying to figure out how to get me out of the tub, visions of horrified firefighters having to drag me out danced in my head. At different stages of this unsuccessful removal, I said things like “I guess I live here now…” and the more desperate “I am going to die here!” When I had hit my personal low, I asked Jeff to leave the room and I sat there and balled.
When I finally regrouped, I did what I should have done in the first place—I prayed. I called Jeff back in and 5 minutes later, I was out. Unsurprisingly, we purchased a shower chair before I bathed again: best $35 I’ve ever spent! Works like a dream!! I’ll start rehab on my ankle soon, and my hopes are that I will be walking and driving again soon. It has slowed down my ability to help with the reno, but I have learned some valuable lessons…like don’t take the use of your limbs for granted.
I have also learned how incredibly difficult it is to be handicapped. Our streets and sidewalks are a mess and make getting around very difficult. Also, some people treat those of us with special needs as if we are a nuisance. That surprised me. Don’t get me wrong… a lot of people have been gracious and helpful, but some treat you like you are an imposition. That makes me frustrated and sad for those whose difficulties aren’t temporary like mine. We need to do better, people. When you see someone who needs a bit of extra time or help, don’t groan and get impatient. Smile…make conversation…hold open doors…. You don’t know when you may be on the receiving end of this. I was walking fine one minute and the next, I was using a wheelie cart.
Keep that in mind and be kind to one another!
