Better in 2024: December

It's the final Monday of December and the final Monday of 2024, which means it's time to do my final accounting of my One Little Word.

It feels fitting that after a year with a number of health challenges for me, the final month of it would be focused primarily on getting physically Better -- specifically, focused on healing and strengthening my foot after my break. Yesterday marked nine weeks since the accident in which I broke my foot, which seems like ages ago and also quite recently. This injury put such a damper on my physical abilities that even for me, a person who thrives on routine and habit, felt exasperating. Early on, my foot hurt and it was hard to get around, so I didn't feel the loss of my relative freedom much. But as things have started to improve, I've gotten a bit stir crazy.

Things definitely started to look up when I had my follow-up appointment with the orthopedist earlier this month. More x-rays were taken of my foot at that visit, and they showed that while I wasn't completely healed, progress had been made. It was actually pretty extraordinary to see the new bone that had grown in between the fragments of the one that broke! Because of that healing, the doctor told me to start moving around the house without the boot and gave me physical therapy exercises to do to increase my strength and flexibility.

It felt extremely strange to take off the boot for those first few days -- remember that for five weeks, I'd only taken it off to shower and once or twice to air it out. For several days, I had a pins-and-needles sensation in my right foot and lower leg as it adjusted to normal blood flow and movement. And the foot was tender, so I was very cautious getting around and especially so when dealing with steps. Those PT exercises were difficult at first, especially the one that required me to stand on my right foot and slowly go up on my toes. But as with all things that are hard at first, with time, they've gotten easier. The pain had diminished to just an occasional discomfort at this point, and I can move my foot around in all directions. I can walk normally around the house, and I'm at the point that when I put the boot back on to go outside, it feels strange again. I expect that when I return to the doctor next week, I'll get the okay to start wearing normal shoes and walking around outside again, though I also expect I will have to work at building back up to my previous strength and pace and it will be months yet before I can try running.

This injury has been been a major pain, both literally and figuratively, but it's also been humbling in that it's reminded me what it's like to be a beginner at any skill. At each stage of my recovery, I've had to take note of my limitations and push myself, gently, to get a little better every day. And in relation to my One Little Word for this year, I probably couldn't have found a better illustration of Better in my life if I'd tried. I could have done without the broken bone, mind you, but we can't always prevent every injury or setback, so the next best thing is to learn from them.

Many, many thanks to Carolyn for hosting the monthly link-ups this year. There was a period of time this month when I thought this would be my last check-in ever because dealing with my OLW toward the end of the year has been tough and I didn't have a clear idea where I was going next, but in due time my next OLW presented itself. So I will be back to the monthly reflections in 2025.

Thanks to all of you who have read and commented on these posts this year. I wish you a happy, healthy, prosperous 2025!