Progress: Man's distinctive mark alone

It's been a month and two days since the accident.  I still have 8 more days until I see the Doc again and anxiously await the x-ray results.  If the bone is healing according to plan, I can start putting weight on the leg.  Wooohooo!  It's the little things in life...or is it the big things I once took for granted?

When I look back over the past month, I'm amazed at my progress.  It's hard to see on a daily basis sometimes, but I've noticed some major steps recently.

You may think of some of these as TMI (too much information), but it's my blog... so read on at your own risk...

When I first came home from the hospital, I was relieved to see the handicapped accessory for the toilet.  There was no way I could consider sitting down without it.  Even with the handrails, it was extremely painful to put any pressure on my left thigh and buttocks.  Over the past couple days, I haven't needed the handicap accessory.  Progress is a beautiful thing!

The first 4 weeks, I slept on a twin bed in my dining room to avoid the stairs to the second floor.  I could barely move around with a walker and often needed a wheelchair.  Now, I boogie around on crutches and can go up and down a full flight of stairs with them.  A couple weeks ago, I was psyched to go up the stairs on my butt...progress is a beautiful thing.

People thought I was crazy to consider driving, but I am doing it routinely now.  My "new" Honda Element has been great, and I look forward to having some fun with it once I can use 2 legs.

Most of the scabs from my scrapes and cuts are gone, and my knee is almost down to normal size.  I can bend my knee a bit past 90 degrees.  It gets better each day...

Sleeping has been a challenge.  At first, I could only sleep on my back with my knee slightly bent.  Now, I can sleep some on my right side, and this morning I even spent a few moments on my left side (still very scary though).  One of these days, I will sleep through the night...

I've gone to the mailbox and ventured to the basement to do laundry.  I've figured out how to carry things from room to room with crutches, and feel more independent each day.

My energy and comfort levels have improved.

My mental state has fluctuated up and down.  The lack of an endorphin fix on a regular basis probably has something to do with it.  In addition, I feel a bit out of the loop in many ways.  I'm starting to phase back into the working world, so this should help some.  With the physical progress, I know the mental will come along as well.

I've had time to contemplate the future and have not experienced an epiphany of any sort.  I've tried to work on a "bucket list", but no major breakthroughs there.  I've been fortunate to experience more than most individuals have in a lifetime, so will be content to share adventures with my family and friends going forward.

I guess I feel less inhibition now.  I say what I want to say regardless of what others think.

At our regular pizza gathering  last night, I read a poem that I wrote for a friend a couple years ago.  He had turned 70 at the time, and he loves poetry.  It was, more or less, a ballad about his life.  It was filled with adventure as well as examples of leading a good life (or should I say leading a good life by example).  As the words were leaving my mouth, I wondered if I have lead a good life.  I've certainly accomplished a lot, but have I lead a life of integrity, love, laughter, and generosity?   Something to think about and always an opportunity for progress.

I guess my "bucket" list isn't really about doing "things" and visiting places, but more about progressing and leaving my mark as part of the community.  These are the things I think about...