Touch of Winter

More Fairy Stuff

 Today I Will Trust  

Today, I will stop straining to know what I don't know. 

To see what I can't see.

 To understand what I don't yet understand.

 I will trust that being is sufficient, 

And I will let go of my need to figure things out. 

Down the road dawn

Over Under

Over--under.
Over--under.

It would seem there's a slight 'issue' with which way the toilet paper is to be placed on the holder.

Not with he-who-is-agreeable....but with the 4 year old Bug.

She changes it.
I put it back.
She changes it again.
I put it back.

That's great when I know it's an issue.
When I don't know that, I start feel a bit 'off' about how that happens.  And I think I musta been in some kinda odd state when I replaced the roll on the holder.

:-/

Oh--and the rearranged vanity in the bathroom from the Bug's visit that I put back in 'order' when she returned to the parental units?
Yep---BACK to the state which she approves of.

I wondered why it was taking so long to wash her hands.......

Fairy Reading

Let your thoughts center around all that you love, respect, admire and treasure. Give positive power to each of your moments by giving positive focus to your thoughts.

Sure, there are plenty of negative things that can quickly capture your attention. That’s why it is important to be able to just as quickly put yourself back into a positive perspective.

By all means deal with the bad things as necessary, while keeping your primary focus on the good things. Make the best use of the mental power that is yours by keeping it pointed in a positive direction.

Fairy Wisdom

Self-centeredness aggravates the natural flow of circumstances surrounding us; too much attention on ourselves distorts whatever might be troubling us. 

However, focusing on others' needs diminishes what we'd perceived as our own pressing need. 

This is a simple principle we might all consider adopting.

None of us is free of problems. 

That's one of life's givens.

 Through their resolution we grow and ready ourselves for the next group of challenges. 

Each group we survive enables us to offer better assistance to someone else who will confront a similar problem. 

Perhaps we'd do well to see all our problems as preparation for guiding someone who will come into our life. 

Helping someone else is certain to lift spirits and foster happiness, but the unexpected reward is that the helper reaps even greater benefits than the one helped.

Touch of whiteness

I gotta find the balloons.....

3 months

I don't have to go see the doc for THREE MONTHS!!!!
(unless the pain problem continues or something new crops up)

THREE MONTHS!!!!
O M G

I've been visiting with him every month, getting several sets of x-rays and dealing with YUCK EVERY MONTH for a year (in two weeks it'll be a year.....)
Okay....I'm genuinely glad for that 'come see me in three months'.  That's WAY good....I'm gonna have a party for that one!

He's done threatening me with a surgical manipulation cuz I can get bend to 70 degrees--and I can just keep doing physical therapy, try the meds he sent me home with and keep at it.

No--no significant healing at the original break site.  He's telling me over and over and over again that can take months (6 months to a year). The graft is healthy, the hardware is doing it's job, the break in the shaft of the femur that HE created is healing (go figure his break shows healing and mine does not...) and he's sent me home with a frown and instructions to come back if these meds don't work on the pain.

I assured him I'd be back if the meds didn't work--likely he'd be getting a call from the ER of my choice cuz I'll be there asking to be knocked out.  I've pretty well reached my limit of tolerance.  I told him I'd TRY not to do that on a major holiday.  :-/  He laughed--definite incentive for him to wanna fix the issue.
I've got the medication, I'll try the lower dose and call if that's not working so we can move to a higher dose or switch.  And if that doesn't work--BACK I'll go for tests of the various kinds.
The pain is great enough that it's starting to get in the way of me progressing and functioning period.

I'll cross my fingers.  Not much of anything last night on the first dose--but it's the first dose and I'll work on being patient.  Three days....something needs to show it's working.  OH please let it work! *sigh*  I've been teetering on messy and I detest being messy.

OH....but I don't haffta see him for three MONTHS!
That means NO having to drive icy roads in the middle of the winter for better than an hour!
OMG....we're definitely having a P*A*R*T*Y!!!

Today's Reading from the Reading Fairy

As children, we looked to our parents for love, for clothes and food, for an indication of who we were. If our needs were met, we felt secure. As developing adults, we still seek love. We continue yearning for security and all too often our self-definition comes through someone else. But a healthy sign of our growth is revealed each time we extend love to another with no thought that love is owed us in return.

We can show our love in myriad ways - a genuine smile, a note of appreciation, an unexpected favor, perhaps flowers, or a phone call. Warmly giving another attention in any form is an act of love, one that will be repaid in full by someone, at some time.

The View Behind

Things that make me happy.....

....the pink flowered headband around the lamp (cuz she'll be coming back to collect it!).

....the cookie cards I delivered to my staff just cuz.

....turning around cuz roads were too snow covered for travel.

....the BIG icicle on the carport downspout.

....catching the sunset in the rear view mirror.

....the 20 pound emu turkey in the fridge. *laughing*

....sneaking brief walks without a crutch! :-)

Fairy Wisdom for the Day

Sometimes I take on more than I can comfortably manage - that’s one of the ways in which my life becomes unmanageable. It happens when I'm operating according to self-will.

I believe that God does not expect more of me than I can produce, that along with the challenges and difficulties I encounter comes the strength I need to cope with them and learn from them. When chaos threatens, I'm either taking on more than I should, or I'm not using the resources available to me.

Little Monkey(s)

TFTD

It's easy to look at all the tasks and unsolved problems and feel so pressured that we get paralyzed and don't get anything done. 

It takes discipline to gather in our scattered forces and focus on one thing, one day, one step, and sometimes one hour – even when taking only that one step can seem so trivial in the face of all that looms.

Are you creating unnecessary fear and drama by taking on more than you handle? Are you willing to trade in the I'm-out-of-control-and-overwhelmed feeling for a sense of manageability? Do you have any history with deliberately living life one day or one step at a time? How did that work?

Plans, goals, and dreams are good, but the only way to get there is one day at a time.

Lifeforce

...symmetry

It's all about symmetry!!!
From the stuff on the bathroom counter to the condiments on the coffee nook table to the mega blok giraffe with the giant Christmas wall.  (Thank goodness I had the sense to ask what the giraffe was carrying elsewise I woulda got one of "those" looks!  LOL)  It's all about symmetry!

I'll see how long it takes before she notes the asymmetric giraffe tail this morning.

And wait til she sees what I've done to the duckies all neatly lined up on the side of the tub that HAD to be in her order before she could be bribed from the bathtub.

Oddly enough the grandad finds great pleasure in someone else with the same desire for "sensible order".

The Bug's mom is the same way, of course.
Which mades me laugh hysterically cuz she arranges from tall to short and Bug likes to do everyother....so the mom puts it back to tall to short and Bug swaps it back again.

Bit like me messing with the fishes on the wall, helping one swim backwards and upside down.
And smirking at the one who grumbles as it gets put back to its designated spot.

Right....anotger cuppa coffee for me and a jaunt to the other bathroom to fix the sensible order of the fishes on the wall.

:-D

Today's Reading

Are we content? If we hesitate even a moment before replying, perhaps we need to reconsider how we're spending our time.

The solution to fulfillment is simple: Express only love to the others in our lives. It's not what we do, ever, but how we do it. If focusing on giving only love and acceptance to others gives us pleasure, could we want for anything more?

There is nothing anyone can do that's more important than helping another person feel loved or forgiven, if that's called for. Whether we are working or merely at play, our opportunities are unending. 

Fairy Reminder

When a person is concerned only with giving, there is no anxiety.

--Gerald Jampolsky

Whatever we give away returns to us, many-fold. When we show love or understanding, when we are gentle or express genuine concern, usually the same will come right back to us. Perhaps not in kind, maybe not in ways we expected, nevertheless our gifts bear fruit.

Many of us have longed for love and security to come from others with a promise of forever; inevitably, we became anxious that, in time, that love or security would disappear. When we view life from such a narrow perspective, no amount of love can bolster our sense of worth.

How different the world looks when we unselfishly give out love rather than longingly await the love, attention, or understanding of others. We guarantee receiving the good feelings we crave every time we share those feelings with a fellow traveler.

I am in charge of what I receive from others today. I will get back what I willingly give.

Changing Weather

Daily Reminder

Though you cannot control every influence in your life, you absolutely can control what you make of those various influences. Make the choice, again and again, to make the best of them.

Take what comes, whatever it may be, with gratitude and positive expectations. Do what you must to make something good out of it.

H is for Happy

k......

I've developed yet another baddddddd habit.  Seriously--I can take any, really healthy 'good' thing....and turn it into a bit of a problem.  Cuz if SOME is good---more is better, dontchaknow.
I don't know 'moderation' AT all.
So I'm bound to 'figure out' a better, more responsible solution.  Yaknow, one that's acceptable and responsible and not excessive.

I've been late to work every day this week.  EVERY day.
I'm NOT a 'show up late' kinda gal.  I show up 30 minutes early to the worksite so I'm responsible.
Suddenly I'm 10 minutes early--or 20 minutes late....however ya wanna look at it.
Yesterday I was 5 minutes early or 25 minutes late.

WHY?!  Cuz I'm leaving the house earlier than usual to GET to work on time.
Seriously--I'm leaving anywhere between 20-30 minutes EARLIER than I normally leave (I'm slow on crutches--whether that's one crutch or two seems to bear no weight....pun intended).  And I'm still pushing that 'on time early' deal.
And people are noticing that I'm late being early.  LOL
OF course they notice--I'm a creature of habit and routine.

Right then.......
I'll try leaving 40 minutes earlier and see if that doesn't get me to work closer to my on time early.

All I need is a bit of cooperation from the the pair of eagles on the river that seem to NOT know I have work to go to.

Another Reading

In the moments when frustration comes, feel the intense energy that comes with it. Transform that energy into determination, and make it a powerful, positive force.

Even when there are good reasons to feel sorry for yourself, don’t. Those very same reasons can be reasons to move forward with more commitment than ever before.

Nudist Colony

TFTD

Our growth is contingent on our ability to flow with the dualities, the contradictions inherent in one's lifetime, not only to flow with them but also to capitalize on them.

We are not offered a painless existence, but we are offered opportunities for gathering perspective from the painful moments. And our perspectives are cushioned by the principles and values we claim for our own. The rough edges of life, the storms that whip our very being, are gifts in disguise. We see life anew, when the storm has subsided.

We can enjoy the calm, if that surrounds us today. We deserve the resting periods. They give us a chance to contemplate and make fully our own that which the recent storm brought so forcefully to our attention. We are powerless over the storm's onslaught. But we can gain from it and be assured that the storm gives all the meaning there is in the calm.

Morning Hush

Things that make me happy....

....the boss lifting his 'order' to conduct my work day from the office.

....a planned weekend with the Bug.

....finding the wee wreaths I forgot I bought.

....pulling over the car to watch a pair of eagles.

....the brilliant full moon.

....a gingerbread latte.  Ohhhh.....yummmm.

....helpful sales people who cheerfully go out of their way.

Fairy Dust

Life is so hard, how can we be anything but kind to one another?

omg and a half

I looked up CRPS.  Seems the physical therapist didn't like some of my "I had a lousy weekend" report.  Like I enjoyed having it?...  

He seems to think my swelling is more than normal and the "don't touch cuz it's painful" ankle that's hot, literally.... isn't what oughta be happening either.  The decision to not do my normal range of motion stuff was driven by that.  It was an attempt to do something with the muscle and nerves originating from the hip.   I think it's fair to say that we won't be doing THAT again...whatever "that" was.  Ain't happening.  O.M.G.  That was a horribly painful experience. The momentary numbness ended as I was leaving.  

Face it, if I'm pulling over to cry cuz of the intensity....I won't be signing up for that again.  

And now that I've medicated myself into a fairly manageable level of pain I looked up CRPS.  I've decided I won't be doing THAT....AT ALL.  I don't have the time or energy, tyvm. 

I know there's a level of pain associated with the work we're doing.  No pain, no gain.  But that was past what I'll willingly sign up for.

Better I remind myself before I convince myself that it wasn't that bad.

Hello...pulled off the highway!!  NO repeating that one.

Long Term Parking

Crap Tracking......

I'm weary and I have a stupid cold.  AND I don't have hormones--present or not, I'll toss 'em into the mix and blame those, too...  I'm witchy and whiny.

*sigh*
Things simply are what they are.

They're not as they were.....which ought to make me pleased as punch.
Instead, it frustrates the byjeepers outta me.
I know where I was, I know what I went through to get to this place....and I know what I WANT.
It ain't coming fast enough.  It's not coming easy or pain free.  Heck,  I don't even know if it'll come.

Every freaking day it's more pain to contend with.  Every freaking night I'm falling into bed hoping to wake up to something different.....and battling to sleep between painful moments.  There is no such thing as 'restful' sleep.  I don't even remember what that is.  *sigh*

I know.  Keeping track of the crap just gives me crap to look at.

I am NOT where I was.

And I have new shoes.
Boring.
Black.
They accommodate the insert and they have squishy 'memory foam'.

Yep.  Keep track of the crap and that's all you'll see.......

Want different--do different.......

And yet another.....

Sometimes people we love do things we don't like or approve of. We react. They react. Before long, we're all reacting to each other, and the problem escalates.

When do we detach? When we're hooked into a reaction of anger, fear, guilt, or shame. When we get hooked into a power play - an attempt to control or force others to do something they don't want to do. When the way we're reacting isn't helping the other person or solving the problem. When the way we're reacting is hurting us.

Often, it's time to detach when detachment appears to be the least likely, or possible, thing to do.

The first step toward detachment is understanding that reacting and controlling don't help. The next step is getting peaceful - getting centered and restoring our balance.

Take a walk. Leave the room. Take a long, hot bath. Call a friend. Call on God. Breathe deeply. Find peace. From that place of peace and centering will emerge an answer, a solution.

Early Ending

:-(

Okay...two pairs of new shoes!  Nothing horribly wonderfully FUN.  Just....shoes that'll support my foot and get me down the block and back.  They're not ugly...they're just.....boring.
And the cute ones I sent for and wanted to desperately keep....sent back cuz they just don't work with the lift that now is required.
AND I threw away 8 pairs of heels.  Eight.  *sigh*  I stood at the trash can and had my moment of silence.  I LOVE MY HEELS.
Notsomuch gonna happen for a very long time, if it happens.  And for sure it won't happen with the favorite heels that used to love my feet.  They still love the right foot....but not the left....nothing loves the left foot.  Not even the new shoes.  Though the new ones don't fight!

Ohhhh.....*sniffle*  Even my cute wedge espadrilles with the stripes.
...k....I'm sad.  :-(

Reminder for Today

When you don’t feel like smiling, that’s when a smile will absolutely do the most good. When you don’t feel like laughter, that’s when a laugh can completely change your whole outlook.

You do not have to live at the mercy of your feelings. You can choose to be the master of those feelings and the master of your actions.

It doesn’t matter whether it is easy or hard, reasonable or unreasonable to choose the way you act and feel. You can do it anyway.

Pay attention to your feelings, learn from them, experience, enjoy and appreciate them. But don’t let them enslave you.

Beyond Limits

k........

Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.

JUST a reminder in case I think I'm gonna GRUMP my way into Saturday and spend it growling and kvetching.  HA.

Ohhhhhhh noooooooooooo!  Contraire mon cher!  WE will be joyful and loving and we'll have FUN!

:-/

If you're goin' shopping....might as well make it fun!
I do NOT like shopping......however..
It's gonna happen.
Oh!
And when you ASK a 4 year old what she wants Santa to bring her--expect to see the whole advert for Toys-R-Us circled. LOL  Guess that means she'll be happy with anything grandad snags.  NOT that she doesn't have STUFF stuck away for her already.  Grandad just wanted to make sure we got something on her list.  Hahaha..... Any excuse is a good one.  Like he needed one.....LOL

Fairy Dust

Life was meant to be FUN! It's hard to believe

sometimes, but it's true. It's all about point of view.

Even our most difficult moments bring us gifts. And so

life may call upon us to be a bit "philosophical" now and 

then; to embrace the "low's" with the "high's."

The trick, of course, is gratitude. Therein will you find

both your peace and your joy.

The source of blame

Things move too fast sometimes.
I'm all about being a mover and a shaker. But eesshhh...TOO fast!

I'd prefer to get used to this walkin' around with this 'one crutch and no brace'.
And maybe that's the problem.  No body wants me to get 'used to it'?

Dunno--but we went from non weight bearing, keep your brace in the locked position to one crutch with the brace and now one crutch without the brace.  I KNOW they're gonna want me using some sort of cane by the end of the week.  Oh wait.....that's today!
NO freaking way.

Seriously.
I can do my mile in 24 minutes.  LOL  I don't think that's record shattering.  And I certainly don't wanna be slowing down--they're already glaring at me and drumming their fingers on the steering wheel as I hobble across the street.  I haffta plan to be 10 minutes earlier than normal JUST so I can get to my destination 'on time' (30 minutes prior to start time--which, according to the world is WAY early to be early).
Face it--I'm SLOW.
And a cane will not make me faster.  NOR will it make me any more confident at this point in time.

There. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
k....there might be a bit of fear in the mix, too.

But really.  Today will be my 10th day back to the work site and I AM WIPED OUT TIRED.

So I've decided that's the physical therapy's fault.  :-/

Oh.

AND I have a stupid cold.

OMG I'm sooooooooo glad it's Friday....

A smattering of white

Today's Reading

Every experience we face in life is a function of choice; choices made and choices resisted. Until there  is conscious choice, one will live in default as a victim of circumstances, accepting whatever comes along.  

  

With conscious choice, one is empowered. Choice is in fact, an empowered yes or, an empowered no.  By choice we say yes to those things we do want and no to those things we  do not.

Making a new, conscious choice, one can override beliefs which have been long held producing negative or undesirable experiences.

Learning to make self-supportive choices is one of  the most difficult challenges of life's experience.

Until one is willing  and ready to choose from the level of  the authentically, empowered Self, life is a series of mishaps which we resent or avoid moving through.

Shucks and nuts

TFTD

You can train your mind to respond to

'incoming data' without fear.

All you have to do is remember who you are, and that

there is never a moment when you do not

have God on your side.

So step into tomorrow without apprehension, and do

not waste your time with worry. Rather, fill your time

with creative thinking about how to move forward,

no matter what happens.

Yes vacancy

Today's Fairy Reminder

The purpose of having boundaries is to protect and take care of ourselves. We need to be able to tell other people when they are acting in ways that are not acceptable to us. 

A first step is starting to know that we have a right to protect and defend ourselves. We have not only the right but the duty to take responsibility for how we allow others to treat us.

Waking up Mr. River

Things that make me happy....

....watching the boss laugh when I asked if he thought I was sitting home on the couch eating bon bons the past two months.

....the surprise of a leafless lawn when a loving someone mulched the whole yard while we were out and about.

....the 'forgot to put it with the rest of the decorations' wee witch that's sitting on a shelf...and is going to stay there.

....the sister getting a dental fitting--almost 2 years after the surgery.  She'll feel sooo much better.

....walking the mile yesterday--with one crutch and no brace....AFTER it snowed.

....surviving a weeks worth of full time work!

....hearing 'we missed you' and knowing it's true.

....having the Physical Therapist's validation that the 'clunk' was a joint freed up from scar tissue and the 'atta girl' that came when I told him I gave myself a stern talking to and got on with the plan.  LOL

Fairy Reminder

Happiness and joy comes to you when it moves

through you. There is no other pathway--and that's

the miracle.

You will have a number of opportunities in the days

just ahead to be a vehicle of happiness and joy for

another. Step right into that. Be the source of that.

As you bring others to a smile, so, too, will you

bring yourself. The method is foolproof.

A touch of morning

....the mile

I walked a mile yesterday--not all in one go, but I did make the mile!  On one crutch, even.
Good enough for me!  At least for now.

That's where I landed.  After the stern talking to, I decided to forge ahead and stop reacting to every little ache, pain and 'clunk' that shows up.  I told the physical therapist that 'fear' would be my biggest barrier right now.  I mean, who wants to continue doing this broken-ness.  I want the healing to happen so I can get about the business of reclaiming some of my life back.  I know I'm going to have some different limitations, but.......

I've also decided that my body is going to have some strange 'going ons' happening.  Muscles and nervers are a tad confused.  Joints are revolting.  It's been 11 months (to the day, no less) since I've been able to use this leg to full capacity.  (Happy broken leg anniversary to me.  LOL)  11 months is a long time for muscles/bones and joints to be so limited.  And I'm still dealing with damage from the surgery. I'm pretty sure my bone wasn't thrilled to be introduced to a bunch of metal.  I know my nerves are still pissed off.  It's a matter of time and perseverance.  And not reacting.

Yes, I'll talk with the physical therapist about the 'clunk' and the out of control pain I had Friday and Saturday.  Sunday was a whole different day--and I got the mile in.  *shaking head* THAT'S how insane it is with this body of mine right now.  Just keep at it regardless.
At least I'm guessing that's the answer.  LOL  Now, I could get an entirely different one from the physical therapist.  And I might even end up ringing the doc to get some added verification that I'm doing the right thing.
Might, mind you.  I still have an aversion to looking stupid.  :-/

Reading for The Day

Every situation in life offers us a significant opportunity for making a decision that will, of necessity, influence the remaining situations we encounter. Just as we are interdependent, needing and influencing one another in all instances that bring us together, likewise our decisions are never inviolate. Each is singly important; however, its impact is multiplied by the variety of other decisions triggered.

The choice is ours for livings fully today, for taking advantage of all the opportunities that present themselves. Our personal growths, our emotional and spiritual development, are in our hands. 

Down by the Riverside

oyoyoyoy........OY!

I knew when he-who-asked ASKED that there was going to be problems.

Why are you so quiet--what's wrong?

I immediately went into truth/lie/truth/lie/truth/lie . Seriously, he's a PRO at worry and awful-izing situations. I seriously THOUGHT about lying, given my brain is pretty good at calculating the 'if_____then______' in record speed.  It's a part of why I'm so good in a crisis.  I wasn't sure telling the truth was worth his worry.
  *sigh*  I told the truth.....but by the time he-who-can-be-reactive got done reacting I was back pedaling and suggesting PERHAPS I was over reacting and this was the result of broken up scar tissue.
That answer IS plausible give the physical therapist was working on that Friday...and it wasn't until Friday evening that I took note of a sudden 'clunk' around that break site. It only happens when I extend my leg straight in a lying position.....I know--I'm stupid and tested it out when it happened more than three times, trying to recreate it so I could 'figure it out'.
It's a familiar feeling,  that 'clunk'--
Makes me wanna throw up, really.

I think getting in the Jeep and dealing with pain the entire time we were enroute (and back) to do some shopping yesterday wasn't helpful--to the situation or to my thinking problem.  That hasn't happened for some time.  Not that riding in any vehicle is a comfy cozy thing with a hefty brace from hip to calf.
Good grief--I took pain medications during the day, even.  Twice.
Could be that I'm just getting wimpy.
Or, could be an issue with the nonunion break site.  

Who the *#)$^#(  knows.




Of course the answer is to cease doing what I'm doing and,  since I'm not in any excrutiating pain, contact the physician first thing Monday morning and take it from there.
Part of me wants to do just that.  Part of me wants to just keep doing what I WAS doing and see if it isn't self correcting.
I mean, c'mon.....I have this hefty, LONG plate screwed into me mulitple times with a bit that goes into the bone below the break site to hold it good and steady.
What are the odds that there's an issue with the break site with all that hardware?!

I must have chosen the first option.  Up this morning using both crutches.
Tired and right on that verge of tearful anger when I think about the 'what IF'....that's a pretty good reason to simply try options to decrease the constant, nagging pain and busy my brain with other stuff.  
And just do what's in front of me cuz that's what I do best......or.......crawl back into bed, pull the covers over my head and refuse to come out.

Yup--I'm finding a quarter and doing the flip of the coin!

TFTD

Enthusiasm is half of the journey to success, and

all of the journey to joy.

If you're going to do something, do it with gusto. Don't

do anything half-heartedly. That dishonors the doing

and the doer. So go for it. Hold nothing back. In life.

Or love. Or anything at all.

Harvested gold

More Fairy Stuff

Progress is not measured in miles, it is measured

in inches.

Do not wonder why things are "taking so long." In fact,

everything is rolling out exactly as it needs to, using

not a minute more than Perfection requires.

Rest easy and be at peace. Life is working its magic

even as you take your very next breath.

k....

...k....
I have handed my 2nd crutch to he-who-smiled-one-of-those-frozen-ones.

When I showed up for PT today,  I happily greeted the fella who's working with me.

Why are you using 2 crutches?
Cuz you told me to use 2 in unfamiliar territory?
(this is when I got the universal "hand it over" signal)
How many times have you been here?  We're not exactly "unfamiliar."

Smartie pants...  He wants me to use one crutch around the house....and when I go out for my 4 block walk 'during the day'.
If it's night time, I can carry the second one like he taught me.  That means you don't just lift it up and walk, poised to catch yourself if you stumble.  Oooohhhhhh nnoooooooo!  The crutch gets flipped sideways to your right hand so you can carry it horizontally as you use the crutch on that same side.

You're not going to fall.  You're taking the second crutch in case you get too tired to return on one.

Right!!
I'm staying ON,the couch.....and I'm only gonna walk after dark with both crutches in place, poised....ready...
Or...I'll just STAY ON THE COUCH.

~~~~
Yup, did the 4 blocks with one crutch carried HIS way.
And I will not obsess over the odd movement.  30 minutes of working on the really tight stuff would explain that.

Behind the curtain

TFTD

Don’t be too hard on yourself. But don’t be too easy on yourself either.

Push yourself steadily and persistently toward meaningful success and achievement. But don’t beat yourself up when you happen to fall short.

Remember that most things are rarely as good as they seem or as bad as they seem. Take the ups and the downs in stride, without letting them throw you off track.

Act with confidence, but not with arrogance. Live with humility, but not with despair.

Live each day with the very best of intentions.   And find positive value in even the most undesirable outcomes.

Keep your focus always on what’s genuinely important. Take a deep, calm breath, and know that by choosing to find real goodness, meaning and fulfillment, you will.

The Predictor of Winter....

Things that make me happy....

....hearing that gleeful 'Ms. Mel is back!' from a couple dozen teenagers (they even sounded kinda happy about it.  LOL)

....discovering my desk chair at work wasn't really broken.  *yeah!*

....the gang of birds gobbling up the berries on the tree.

....the sound of incoming and outgoing geese.

....spy sunglasses that show you what/who is behind you.  Hahaha :-)

....the cool coloured tape on my left leg.

....a bag of new toys for the office!  

Daily Reminder

What you think of yourself has a major impact on what you do with your life. Think more positively about yourself and your world, and every area of your life will reflect it.

All day long, every day, your mind is active, with one thought after another. Instead of making those thoughts judgmental or despairing, choose to make them thankful, loving and accepting.

It’s really very easy to aim your thoughts in a positive direction. Just remind yourself to do it, and it’s done.