For those of you who don't know, my cast is off (short lived, I know), as my foot was causing me more discomfort and soreness in the cast than when it was out of the cast. I am back in the moon boot, and I never thought I'd be so happy to see that thing again. Words cannot describe how unhappy I had been crutching around London the last few days in the rain. I'm not sure I truly knew how glum I'd become, until I witnessed how stupidly gleeful I was when the cast came off.
I would like to go on record (I'm certain I'm not the first), to say, London is not the most friendly city for those with physical set-backs.
I'm almost certain (very certain...okay, quite positive), I found myself in tears at least once a day every day during my short lived stint on crutches. Mostly out of pure frustration. I'm in a new city, completely reliant on my own two feet, and one isn't working. I have a commute to school that involves and 12 minute power walk (when on good feet), just to get to a train station with no lifts, and now I had to crutch that distance. Groceries were now an impossible task (one that S quickly took on), and bathing now happened every other day. Gross, I know, but I couldn't shower, and our bathtub was lacking a ledge to place my leg on the right side. Washing my hair became an extreme ab workout.
On Monday I hobbled all the way back to the hospital for the third time (hands raw, and soaked from the rain) to have them tell me they couldn't see me and to come back the next day. Tears. The nurse handed me a paper towel, and tossed me back into the waiting room. More tears. That same day, I got off the train, got partially through the station gates (crutches only), only to have them close on me, trapping me, and my school bag, until the station attendant could free me. Yes, tears.
While most of my tears manifested themselves out of frustration, there was also the issue of not being able to exercise. When the cast came on, I could no longer swim (the only thing I'd been able to do prior to).
When the Dr. put me back in the boot yesterday, he also ok'd the pool.
And that is the first place I went this morning.
Although frustrated that I can't run, I've actually really enjoyed swimming. There's a calm that sweeps over me the second my face goes in the water. I also find I'm completely mesmerised by the light flickering through the bright turquoise water. When I see this underwater world through my goggles, I constantly think about painting it, but I don't think I'd know how. For this reason, these paintings by
Samantha French really spoke to me. I'm completely jealous of her work. It captures exactly how I feel in the pool.
Aren't they absolutely beautiful?
To see more of her work, visit her website
here.
