Thankfulness, Unexpected

I broke my left ankle four weeks ago. Trimalleolar fracture, surgery required. Apparently, I have quite a collection of metal in the ankle now. I've got a nice blue cast, and the ankle has been healing very well this far. In just a couple of weeks, the cast will come off and I should be able to walk without crutches.

I am thankful that I am healing pretty well. That's a 'reasonable' reason for thankfulness.

I am, of course, thankful for my supportive family members and friends, their prayers and their practical help. That's another understandable reason for thankfulness.

I am thankful that God has been with me throughout this time.

And on this journey, I've also found some reasons to be thankful that I would have never guessed. Such as:

1. The smallness of our home

Our home is very compact. I don't have a long way to go from bedroom to bathroom to kitchen. No stairs to navigate. There's not that much of floor area to clean, either.

I can stand in one point in the kitchen and reach both the counter and the dining table. I'm so glad for that: how else could I get a hot cup of coffee to the table? I need both my hands for crutches when I take steps...

2. Seeing life from the slow lane

It does me good to have to slow down and be the person with reduced mobility. The one who needs rest every fifty meters or so. The one who is looking for places to sit down.

I really need to think things through before I do them. I can do only so many things in a day: what will they be? Cannot just dash off to what I feel like doing.

3. Flabby tummy

The roll of fat on my tummy makes it easier to (self-)administer injectable medicines. Those daily injections are NOT fun, but preferable to a blood clot. I certainly never thought I'd be thankful for that tummy fat!

It's sort of interesting to see what other lessons there still are for me to learn through this experience...

This is not an adventure that I would have chosen for myself.

It's still an adventure. Every day.