CALAMETY DEBBIE
May 31, 2017
THE RED WINGS HAD A BLESSED LIFE TODAY AND WE WERE ALL OVER IT ALL OVER AND OVER AGAIN. And that, my friends, is one way to get the creative juices flowing when they’ve been backed up in a sludge pit for a while. I simply let the iPad’s little word selector whatsit at the bottom of the screen choose my words one at a time to create my first May Doodle sentence! Wasn’t that fun! I bet I could write a whole novel like that and someone out there in the publishing world would get all excited and call it a “fresh dystopian commentary on the randomness of life in the 21st century” or some such insightful literary gobbledygook. I hope you enjoyed that, because I certainly did. But actually that has nothing much to do with the topic of my Doodle this month.
The red wings and I are definitely having a blessed life today, and this has been happening over and over again, but the blessings haven’t been exactly what we were expecting. For months I had been praying with deep angst about retiring from my nanny job for several reasons: 1) I was exhausted, 2) I wanted MORE, 3) my body hurt all the time, especially my legs, 4) I was tired, tired, tired–did I say that already?, 5) I had entered into an Old Age Crisis, which is worse than a Midlife Crisis, because it happens when one is getting old instead of just kind of old. A couple of months ago I had had the talk with my employer, who was understanding and supportive, and we had agreed that I would take my leave at the end of summer break. It was going to be difficult to say goodbye to the kids after nearly ten years with them, even though I wasn’t seeing them much anyway since they stay busy with sports and church and other activities. But we live five minutes from each other, so it’s not like we would never see each other again! So I was slowly working myself into getting excited about having more time to explore other pursuits of my own choosing–something I’ve never had the freedom to do, since marrying right out of college and working full time, then birthing babies, then raising those children plus working full time, then working to pay off all the debt from raising those children after they flew the familial coop. Whew! No wonder I was tired.
But God had a slightly different plan in mind. Six weeks or so ago, my aching legs began to hurt even more. I could barely bend them enough to go up and down the stairs at work with the laundry baskets. I figured arthritis was setting in. Then my left leg suddenly started feeling better as my right one worsened. I tried wearing a brace which helped a little. And then a couple of weeks ago I took a step down into the sunroom and something POPPED behind my right knee. I heard it and felt it and I had to get my husband to help me to our new adjustable bed, which I thought when we bought it, “I hope we’re not going to be using this like a hospital bed sometime.” Hmmm. That’s where I’ve been spending a lot of hours the last two weeks with ice, ibuprofen and my leg elevated.
I saw a doctor and she told me to keep resting and icing it and use one crutch to try walking on it some, which has been so much better than trying to use two of them with just one foot on the ground. Think Lucy Ricardo on crutches and you’ll have a picture of me trying to keep from falling over. I lost my balance once after brushing my teeth and fell backwards into the bathtub onto my well-padded rear with my legs sticking straight up! After the shock wore off I had a little laughing fit waiting for my dearly beloved to figure out a way to get me out of there. I go back next week to see the doctor again. I’m doing better, so hopefully whatever popped can heal itself. (The meniscus is the doctor’s best guess without an MRI, which I may still end up having.)
Whatever comes about, I’ve started my retirement a little early. I can’t go back to all the climbing stairs and standing that I was doing at work, so I’m a free woman now! Only I can’t get around all that well. Thankfully, running marathons was never in my plans for MORE. I was hoping to have more time to read and write, and I certainly have that while I’m lounging around. And I’ve been sleeping like a drugged dog, only without the drugs. Sleep has never been a strength of mine and now I’m falling asleep like there’s nothing to it. Maybe God is giving me time to rest up before the next phase of retirement begins.
In the meantime, I’ve been blessed with good friends who have loaned me a wheelchair and walker, sent me prayers, scriptures, food, and cards, and a husband who has waited on me with loving solicitude. My favorite verse right now is Job 4:4, sent by a friend: “*Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.*” This same friend also asked God to place His angelic host around me to keep me from further injury. God is good! All the time! And He works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose! Thank you, Jesus!