You may have noticed that I haven't had a new blog for a while. I have missed the "conversation".
My right knee started giving me trouble so consistently that I knew I had to do something or say good-bye to traveling. Not an option when you're married to a gypsy who feels deprived if we don't go on as many trips as possible.
Long story short, I got a knee replacement and then had to have my gallbladder removed. Two major operations very close together. I won't bore you with details except to say when your life derails and you have no control it feels very much like you're careening down the highway headed straight toward a mountain!
Whatever the cause, feeling helpless is really humbling. They say whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. Probably true. It makes you dig deep and find your grit. Here in the West, grit is essential. If you fall off a horse get back on etc. and don't whine about it. When I started doing the exercises to get my knee mobility back, everything hurt! (Yes, that was a whine.) My choice was not to do the physical therapy and be worse off than I was before, or suck it up.
With a lot of help from my husband, my family, my friends, and my physical therapist, I could once again access my office in the basement. I am not fast, but I'm steady.
It is incredibly hard to ask for help when you need it. I had friends sending flowers, food (my sister went way over the top) and good wishes. I even had a friend who came to babysit me when Rog had to leave me alone. (She said it was just catching up, but I know a good-deeder when I see one.)
Without the combined effort of all those people, family and friends it would have been easy to just give up. I hate to admit that is sometimes my first reaction when faced with a challenge. I learned that if you take little steps, one at a time, no matter what the problem, it doesn't feel so insurmountable. Being helpless gets you in touch with gratitude. Without challenges we forget to remember that God and a whole lot of people are rooting for us. It is easy to take things for granted, until you stumble over life and need a hand up.
So, when you ar hurtling toward a mountain, look around you. There is a whole highway of help out there to keep you from crashing. I am grateful for all the angels in my life who helped me through.