Adjustments

If you follow along on the various social media outlets like Facebook and Instagram, you know I’ve been battling a fairly significant hand injury that I sustained back in June on the Pacific Northwest Tour.

It’s been a doozie to deal with. Having postponed surgery until after the Hell Hike and Raft expedition, I’ve spent the last couple of months in varying stages of frustration and adjustment to my post-surgery abilities… or lack thereof. I wish I could say I’ve weathered this with dignity and prowess. Alas, not so much. All I’ve been able to muster are desperate attempts at slowing my physical decline and hopefully not bottom out as a bowl of jelly.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to do many of my usual activities and that daily tasks would be a struggle but that impact was even greater than I anticipated. Those activities are my happy place: hiking, yoga, knitting, photography. My limited ability to do them has made it tough to be a happy camper. Yes, even hiking has been a challenge because it caused my arm to throb and swell painfully in the casts. That was a bit of a shocker. It was the one thing I thought I’d still be able to do with a hand injury. And I’ve completely missed the autumn camping season for lack of being able to pitch a tent without risking the safety of my delicate ligament I’ve worked so hard to repair and rehab.

And life’s tasks that aren’t fun but necessary have been a giant frustration: cooking, cleaning, driving, etc. You’d think sitting at the computer to catch up on writing and image editing would be manageable in the meantime. Nope. At least not in more than little increments.

The good news is that I’m on the mend but it’s been difficult to be patient. Each day is slightly better. And now I’m finally out of the casts and on to physical therapy which means I finally have some say in my progress instead of simply being in waiting mode. I’m not up to speed, of course, but I can slowly dip my toe back into things, albeit it with some adjustments and accommodations.

And I think that’s the point that I’m reminded of with this struggle. There’s no status quo in life and we have to be able to make these adjustments to dance life’s dance. This has been my dance lesson.

So I leave you with this…