process

well, as of today, tuesday the 29th, it's been three weeks since my elbow decided to take the road less traveled. not a single day of the 21 has passed that i haven't offered a prayer of gratitude that i'm left handed, that i have haley, and that i have good narcotics.

by the same token, not a day has passed that i haven't marveled at all the things your non-dominant hand is still necessary for. that old expression, 'i could do that with one arm tied behind my back' has taken on new meaning. in case you were wondering, there are many fewer things in that category than i'd ever imagined.

like, tying your shoes. or putting in earrings. or even washing my face. the seemingly simple is much harder when one hand simply can't reach your head.

but this isn't a pity party. on the contrary, i want to tell you all the things i've learned i can do with only one arm.

- train 1st graders at fitness camp four days a week
- pack up eight years of closets, drawers, and shelves for a move
- ride a bike (albeit stationary), climb stairs, and do (one-armed) jumping jacks
- sand and repaint a rust-erator, er i mean refrigerator
- mow the over grown grass in our drainage ditch
- with a three-wheeled lawn mower
- change that fourth tire
- drive and drive and drive (thank god i have an automatic) back and forth and back
- sell/give away a household's worth of junk at a garage sale
- ably lift weights twenty pounds below my norm (fyi: furniture is generally not in this category)
...
- realize limitations
- ask for help
- accept help
- learn patience

and so it goes. i'm three days from a new home and three weeks from being able-bodied. and the nagging thought i go to bed with and wake up with is 'when will i be able to write?' tonight, i write. the boxes wait till morning. the ice pack balances on my elbow. and tonight i write.

i've missed it so.

d: patience in the process
b: progress in the process
g: partner in the process