Last time I posted, I wrote about the kindness of strangers while I've been juggling mobility aids and doors. This morning, especially, people were so incredibly nice, and I just want to give a shout out to them.
On my way to work this morning, I stopped at the Racine Washington Avenue Starbucks for my beloved coffee. When I got out of my car to go inside, a man who was already at the door and about to go inside stood there and held the door while I walked from my car - not a long distance, but certainly enough of a time gap that no one would have faulted him for going inside and leaving me to fend for myself. As I entered the vestibule, another exiting man opened the inside door for me and let me go by. And then, as I was leaving, a third man got up from his table, opened the inner door, waited til I grabbed it, then went out and opened the exterior door for me to leave.
So, thanks, Starbucks Customer Dudes. You all totally made my morning, just by being kind.
Today is officially 8 weeks since my foot surgery, and it's surprising to me how fast it's gone by, and the progress I've made. At 6 weeks, I was given go-ahead to begin partial weight-bearing on my foot. Here I am, my first time on two feet in 6 weeks:
So I've been walking - first, with a rollator walker or two crutches, and now with a single crutch - for the past two weeks. What a relief that has been, just to have more balance! Today was my most active day yet, where I didn't use the walker at all, mostly single-crutched, made it across my work campus and back for lunch, ran two errands, and pumped my own gas. All of that doesn't sound like much for a person with normal mobility, but it felt great to achieve that much on my own today! I have about two weeks left in the boot, transitioning to a surgical shoe or a regular shoe, depending on the swelling I have, in week 10.
One of the more interesting things about this experience has been seeing first-hand just how inaccessible the world is for people with mobility issues, instead of considering their difficulties in the abstract. Accessible ramps are frequently far away, if they even exist, and exterior ramps can be tricky in winter weather when businesses don't clean up the snow and ice. Even those places that are technically accessible via ramps often don't have enough space between tables (restaurants) or racks (stores) for mobility aids to get through. Access to urban shops and restaurants is often difficult in the snow, as corners are not always dug out and snow can be piled up at the curb. Parking, bathroom access, even just getting in and out of a chair, all come with challenges. I won't be sorry to leave those challenges behind and get back to my normal mobility. Unfortunately, that's not an option for most people who need accessibility, and I will definitely be more aware of their trials from now on.
Of course, not everything has been difficult. I've been pleasantly surprised at the kindness of strangers and offers to help me with carrying things, putting my walker or bag into or getting it out of my car, opening and holding doors. Given all the horrible things we regularly see in the news, it's nice to know most people are not awful and are actually interested in helping their fellow citizens of the world.
Something that's been on my mind a lot lately is The Star Thrower, or Starfish Story as many people know it. The original Loren Eiseley version is not as accessible as the adapted version, which can be found all over the interwebs:
An old man had a habit of early morning walks on the
beach. One day, as he looked along the
shore, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. As he came closer he saw that it was a young
woman and she was not dancing but was reaching down to the sand, picking up
starfish and very gently throwing them into the ocean.
"Young lady," he asked, "Why are you throwing
starfish into the ocean?"
"The sun is up, and the tide is going out, and if I do
not throw them in they will die."
"But young lady, do you not realise that there are
miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it? You cannot possibly make a difference."
The young woman listened politely, paused and then bent
down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking
waves, saying: "It made a big difference to that one."
Anyway, as I said, this particular tale has been on my mind a lot, to the point that I pulled out my vintage starfish brooch -- a family heirloom, if you will -- last Thursday.
In light of what occurred on Friday, I've been thinking about this little fable even more. It's overwhelming, to say the least, to think about the enormous losses and the grief and heartbreak, and to feel as if there is absolutely no difference to be made for anyone. The Big Issues get political and productive discussion grinds to a halt as each side retreats to their corner of extremism. But while it's true that the terrible events in Newtown, CT cannot be taken back, I can still make a difference in the world. I can reach out to people in my community who need a helping hand. I can commit random acts of kindness. Simply saying "please" and "thank you" and giving a smile to a stranger are things that make the world a little bit kinder. I realize that sounds trite, platitude-like, but I feel as if I need to remind myself of these things; that even in the face of unimaginable tragedy, small things can and do make a difference to someone.
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With no outfits to blog, what's a girl to do? Chop off her hair, of course!
I kid. I've been kind of obsessing over doing this for the past five months, and last week, my friend librarysarie and her awesome new cut gave me the necessary kick in the pants to go for it. I love it, and I'm so glad I did it!
One of the things I love most about this time of year is the music. While the constant drone of Christmas carols in every store between Halloween and Christmas can get a bit wearing, hearing my favorite hymns nearly always leaves me with a feeling of peace and joy. I have the Candlelight Processional from Epcot loaded on my device and love to listen to the choir sing.
Some of my favorite Christmas memories are around music; specifically, Polish koledy. My favorite of those is Dzisiaj w Betlejem -- Today in Bethlehem -- which figured heavily into my childhood Christmases, as my mom and aunts would sing this around the table. (Translation of the lyrics here.)
And no Christmas is complete without Johnny Mathis' Christmas albums playing. Those, along with Nat King Cole, were the tree-decorating soundtrack of my youth. So I leave you with my favorite Johnny Mathis Christmas tune, which never fails to make me smile:
Since my last post, I turned 40(!), took an outstanding vacation (fully planned, including some truly amazing surprises, by The Husband), and scheduled my first (non-oral) surgery. "Rollercoaster" is a pretty good description of my feelings over the past month!
On Turning 40 I'm surprisingly less angst-ridden than I'd expected to be. Mostly, I'm shocked that such a large-sounding number applies to me. I don't feel 40. I'm not sure what I feel, but it's not 40. On the other hand, achieving such a milestone brought me such a fantastic celebration, I certainly can't complain!
On Vacation Back on Christmas 2011, The Husband surprised me with his plans for my September birthday: a seven-night cruise on the (at the time) not-yet-launched Disney Fantasy! I spent the next nine months following the ship's story, as it was completed at Meyer-Werft, delivered to Disney Cruise Line, and took its maiden voyage. We sailed on the 27th voyage of this beautiful ship, and I could not be happier with The Husband's choice.
But that wasn't his only surprise! He also booked a night at Wilderness Lodge at WDW for us, so we could attend Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party the night before our sailing, AND he upgraded our outside stateroom to an outside with verandah! Having the ability to spend time sitting on the verandah and watch the sea go by made the trip that much more special and relaxing.
On That Surgery I've written a bit about the problems I've had with my ankle since early in the year. After heavy-duty anti-inflammatories, physical therapy, and both off-the-shelf and custom orthotics, the pain hadn't really improved for more than a day or two at a time. One MRI later, I've been diagnosed with a tear in my posterior tibial tendon, which requires fairly significant surgery (4 separate procedures) to repair. Recovery from these procedures is pretty daunting as well: 6 weeks non-weight-bearing on that leg, several more weeks in a walking boot, and a hefty amount of physical therapy. Full recovery likely will take the better part of a year. I'll be getting on with that exciting chapter in late January 2013. I think I'll have to find something stylish and fun to do with a cast!
So that's my rollercoaster ride for late September and most of October. I'm starting to look forward to the holidays now, and have already pulled out last year's Thanksgiving menu to get started!
In a shockingly abrupt end to summer, I woke up this morning to find it was 43F outside! It's about that time, to break out sweaters and boots and my favorites of fall - wool, tweed, corduroy. But since this is still transition time, I haven't gone all the way over to fall clothes:
Sweater, tank, jeans: OldNavy.com Shoes: Bella Vita Bracelets: Amrita Singh Earrings: Catherines Watch: L.A.M.B. Scarf: I have no idea; I don't remember where or when this came from. I have a vast collection of scarves, some of which date back to the late '80s and high school.
Why This Works: The dark wash jeans and dark purple tank, combined with the neutral booties, are all a nod to fall, while the bright scarf and light neutral cocoon cardi don't tip this over into the heavier feel of late fall and winter clothes. A fine-gauge sweater is a great transition piece, as it provides more coverage and warmth as the days cool, but doesn't add bulk.
I'm actually still deciding whether I think the cocoon cardi, specifically, works for me. While I like the concept, I'm concerned that this may be adding more width to me than I'd like. What do you think?
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In news unrelated to clothing, tonight I'll be walking in our local Light the Night walk, for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I've been raising money for the past several weeks, and can't tell you how much I appreciate all of my donors. This is such an important cause, as there are approximately 137,000 people diagnosed with blood cancers (which include leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma) each year, which accounts for approximately 9% of the new cancer diagnoses in a year. Approximately 54,000 people die of one of these blood cancers each year, which also accounts for around 9.5% of all cancer deaths. As my regular readers know, one of those deaths in 2010 was my mom. Supporting this cause is deeply personal.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society provides funding for research, patient access to clinical trials, and patient education and advocacy services. Please consider supporting LLS via a donation, volunteer work, or participating in one of their fundraising programs. Or, if none of those float your boat, you can shop a small variety of Lands End products and 20% of your purchase will go to support LLS (and, this month only, you can use code LLS for free shipping!).
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." --Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird
Usually, I try to remain pretty apolitical on this blog. I didn't set out to write in that space - there are plenty of political bloggers, who have a lot more interest in it than I do. But there has been a lot of disturbingly vitriolic discourse in this country of late, some of it culminating in violence or death. And with each news story, my head and my heart hurt just a little bit more to think that we've arrived at a place where fear of The Other makes people stop seeing each other as PEOPLE first, and not the labels applied to THEM.
Instead of considering that {GAYS/MUSLIMS/ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS/DEMOCRATS/REPUBLICANS/LIBERALS/CONSERVATIVES/[insert your own label here]} are really just individual people trying to live a life, just like you or me, The Label is tossed around as a dehumanizing epithet. THEY are pushing THEIR agenda. THEY want us dead. THEY are taking the jobs and our money. THEY are wrong and we need to "take back America" from THEM.
WTF, people? Are you so blinded by hatred and fear that you can't see these are people? People who have families and get up in the morning and go to work and raise their kids and try to put food on the table and have some fun and find love and go to the grocery store and do the laundry and stress over paying bills and plan vacations and...and...and. And do the things I do every day. Except they do them with a same-sex partner, or reading from a different book than I do, or in a different country, or in fear of being caught but feeling like they have no other options, or believing that they love their country and are trying to do right by it even if the nuances of those beliefs are different from yours or mine.
There ARE people to be reviled and repudiated in the world. But they're still individual people, crazy people, power-hungry people, obsessed people. Not labels. And people who may have some traits in common with those individuals are not responsible for the behavior of the nutjobs.
Do I think I'm better than other people, that I'm some super-enlightened, bias-free person? HELL NO. I have biases, and gut reactions, and sometimes, fear. I've made snap judgements and been harsh. But I do try to check myself, and put myself in the "skin" of other people. I make an effort to remember to take each person on their own merits and try to have an open mind and heart until someone proves themselves unworthy of it. If that's not something you're accustomed to, I challenge you to do the same. Believe in the words Harper Lee wrote for Atticus Finch. Or, if that's too literary for you, how about some George Costanza: "You know, we're living in a society!"
When we last saw our intrepid travelers, they were on their way to a Polynesian luau...
We had a great time at the luau, which doubled as our anniversary dinner. I drank some fabulously fruity concoction out of a coconut carved into a monkey's face, the food was good and plentiful, and the entertainment was fantastic. After dinner, however, we were pretty much done after a second day of early wake-up, and thus we crashed.
We slept in this morning for a bit, then headed off to Downtown Disney to do a bit of souvenir shopping and to ride the Characters In Flight tethered balloon. That was So. COOL. We went 400 feet into the air and could see all over the Disney property. We're going to try to go again, this time at night.
After the balloon ride, we grabbed some lunch at Cookes of Dublin (mmm, fish & chips...), did our shopping, took a quick break for something to drink and some air conditioning, then headed off to the Disney Hollywood Studios. Unfortunately, we were too late in the day to easily check out the new Toy Story Mania attraction without an extremely long wait, and they were out of Fast Passes for it. So The Husband went off to ride Tower of Terror (not a favorite of mine), while I killed some time wandering the shops and catching glimpses of the parade. Once I'd wandered through all of the shops I could easily get to during the parade, I found a bench in the shade to wait for him. While waiting, I was first asked to take a guest survey. Can I just say how much I love surveys? I'm always happy to give my opinion. :) Then, just before The Husband arrived, another Cast Member just stopped for a chat and asked if we were celebrating anything. I told him about our anniversary and my birthday. He said, "How many years?" I said, "Eleven." I could tell, however, he wanted to go for the joke, so I quickly added, "Can't you tell how young I look?!" We all laughed, then I told him my actual age, and whether he was putting me on or not, I can't say, but he looked fairly surprised that wasn't younger! That's always a nice feeling. :)
After checking out the new American Idol Experience, riding Star Tours, seeing the Muppets 3D, and riding Rockin' Roller Coaster, we were getting hungry, so we headed off to the Magic Kingdom to get a bite to eat and see Spectromagic. We found ourselves a good spot for the parade, and just as it ended, it started to rain a bit. By the time we got down to Main Street USA, the sky had opened up and we were soaked. We chose not to stay for the Wishes fireworks, but sloshed our way back to Saratoga Springs. We did, however, see some pretty spectacular natural fireworks on the way back, accompanied by some loud rumbles of thunder!
We have an early day planned for tomorrow - a quick stop at DHS at rope drop for Toy Story Mania, then off to Sea World for much of the day, then to Epcot to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy perform at the Eat to the Beat concert series for Food & Wine. Phew.
The Husband and I went first thing this morning to our polling place to vote. Unsure of the turnout, we arrived at 6:30 AM for the 7 AM opening of the polls and were #5 and #6 in line.
Our polling place is an elementary school. Normally, when arriving to vote, you walk through the outside doors and enter the door to the gym directly in front of you. There is also a second door to the gym that is further down the hall, which is where we lined up this morning. As we walked through the outside doors and assessed the lay of the land, we had a disagreement about whether or not we'd ever entered the gym via the second door. (The correct answer, sweetheart, is yes, we lined up in the same way for the 2004 presidential election.) The four people already in line were amused by our discussion, but I heard the man who was third in line actually snort when not five minutes later, another couple came in having the same disagreement. In this case, the wife agreed with The Husband, and her husband agreed with me -- Her: "See, he agrees with me!" Him: "Yeah, but his wife's right!" We all had a laugh at that.
I love going to vote first thing in the morning, especially for an election as important as this one is, just to hear them say, "Hear ye, hear ye, the polls are now open." The dated language makes me think about the history of this country and about being part of something so much bigger than my insular daily life.
I cast my vote and was back in my car by 7:10 AM, sadly without an "I Voted" sticker. As I drove to work, I couldn't help but think about how historic this day truly is, and how I hope that regardless of today's results, it will become commonplace to see someone other than white men as the potential leaders of this country and truly represent the beautiful diversity we have.
