Let's Do This

Obviously, my plans for going back to work this upcoming Monday were unrealistic. Let's face it, I can't drive or even type for more than 20 minutes without considerable pain. The range of motion of my wrist is about 50% of what it should be, and my right hand is still mostly a flopping appendage at this point, unable to hold, squeeze, carry, push, or pull anything that weighs more than a pound or two.

But...I can do a heck of a lot more with it than I could do at this time last week.
For one thing, my incision has healed enough for me to take a decent shower - something that I am exceedingly grateful for. Baths are nice once in a while, but in reality, you're pretty much just lying in your own filth. Blech! I can also do a select few everyday tasks including but not limited to opening the refrigerator door, squeezing toothpaste out of the tube (sort of), typing several paragraphs, scratching the dog's heiney (he's more grateful for this ability than I am), signing my name, and dialing a cell phone.

While I'm far from 100%, I'm certainly happy that life is a little closer to resembling normal every day. Today, I might be able to kill two birds with one stone: I'm considering driving down the street to my gym to begin establishing some sort of workout routine - something that has been sorely missed and reminds me every day how far from normal my life still is. Granted, the gym is a mile down the road, and my workout will likely consist of about 20 minutes of power-walking on the treadmill, but hey, at this point, I'll take what I can get.

Don't get me wrong - the break from life was nice in some ways. There's something to be said for sleeping in every day, catching up on reading, and just lying back to let life progress without you. Heck, that's what vacations are all about. However, this little ride on the "Disability Express" has taught me that, despite my assertions that I am a lazy person, I'm really not that lazy. A few days off is good, but for me, a few weeks off is not nearly as nice. I'm ready to get back to normal. I'm ready wake up and be productive. I want to accomplish things and go places and improve my surroundings and go to bed tired from all that I've done. And it starts today. Today, I will take my life back, as much as my wrist will let me. Today I will do something - anything - other than watch time go by and wonder how to fill the hours. Today, I will type more, drive farther, and exercise harder than I have in the past month.
And that is awesome.
Hooray for getting back to normal. Let's Do This!!!