The Day Jenny Stood Still (Sort of)

I didn't cook today. I didn't shop. I didn't clean house. I didn't do laundry. I didn't do the dishes. As a matter of fact, I didn't really do anything. "Why?" you may ask. I've been sidelined against my will with a sprained/strained/pulled/bruised (or some other vague term that means the doctor doesn't really know why it hurts) ankle. (Heavy Sigh!)

I had such plans, too. Jeff's parents were coming for a belated Father's Day celebration dinner which has now been tentatively postponed until Thursday. In the meantime, I'm not allowed to stand in the kitchen. I think I see a way around this, of course. Tomorrow I'll pull a chair from the table over to the island which I can use to support the bum leg while standing on the other. This should work as long as I don't have to walk around much, and until my knee starts to hurt, and my other leg gets tired (Sigh, again). While the idea of sitting still for very long is not "attractive at all to my way of thinking" (thank you, Mary Poppins), the guys have done their best to make me comfortable. They both wanted me to lean on them walking in and out of the doctor's office; my son cracked jokes trying to make me smile, and Jeff has cheerfully fetched snacks and drinks. He has even offered to do the grocery shopping, though I declined hoping I'll be able to walk well enough to do it myself tomorrow. (I'll just lean on the cart - scout's honor!)

Today's personal set back reminds me of several similar fiascoes I have endured. The last time I hobbled this much was when I broke my ankle running up the stairs because Jeff was trying to tickle me. The cast lasted about a week before I used a serrated knife to cut if off myself. The crutches were tossed into the garage within a day or two of the cast coming off. Instead, I used a rolling desk chair to maneuver through the hallways at school. Pondering that episode makes me happy we are currently on summer break, especially since none of the buildings at my current school are attached to one another.

I think this whole ankle business happened because I allowed myself to become complacent. About a year ago, my old faithful crutches went to Goodwill with a stack of clothes and outgrown toys. When my son sprained his ankle a couple of months ago, I fussed at him to take better care of it, disregarding the fact that I never obeyed my own admonitions. Now, karma has come back to bite me, and I'll spend the next several days figuring out how to circumvent standing on my right foot while still completing whatever tasks suit my fancy. Jeff says I'm stubborn like it's a bad thing. I prefer to think of myself as resourceful and persistent - traits any strong, self-reliant woman should have. Hmm...I wonder if I can get the guys to bring me a soda and hand over the remote control.