Yesterday, December 31st I had my second therapy session. The first was the day after Christmas and it was the initial assessment, light exercises and printouts of the ones I need to do at home, which I faithfully did. it really made a difference. I could stand and walk with both feet flat on the ground. I use a cane for long distances as in walking from the kitchen to the bedroom. My cane was my Grandfathers, who passed away in the early 90’s. Somehow I inherited it, but don’t remember how. It comes in handy to shoot cat toys out from underneath the furniture along with those dust bunnies. Our niece used it for a Halloween costume and then it just usually resides in a corner in my studio. We did have to get a new rubber tip for it, the other probably just fell off because it was old. Never did I think that I would be using it for a safety net of walking. I was told that it was a little taller than I needed but it still works. I was also told that I needed to use it on the opposite side of the injury which made a huge difference too. I have this picture of Santa’s cane that he left in the house in the old Miracle on 34th Street. My cane looks just like it and I think he must have left it like I do. I hang it on hooks and put it in obscure corners so it doesn’t fall over and then I go about my business and then I can’t find it. “Hey has anyone seen my cane?”
So it has now been an month since my whatever happened to my right knee. Arthritis reared it’s ugly head. I am thinking, I have to pitch tents and sell my art and I can’t do it in this condition, that is how I make my money! Then I have my household to take care of and what about walking in the sunshine?
My second session I have my therapist Katie. She did some good work on that knee and pushed on it to touch pretty flat. I was amazed and did some other stretching exercises. She said firmly to me, “You are going to have to walk and bend your knee! You are throwing your foot out and walking with a stiff knee.” “I know, I am afraid to bend it”. She said, “You need to do this!” It made sense, in all my therapy nothing hurts. I seriously have to think about it but I have that trusty cane and I need to do it, because I need to get better. Plus I most likely won’t have that shooting pain in my back.
So I am going slow and ask my family for help. Trying to walk straight and bend my knee and gaining confidence, little by little.
My goals for 2020…….make a lot of good art, I have some furniture to paint, quilts to quilt people to see and places to go.
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage and confidence in the doing.
Theodore Roosevelt