Oh Frabjous Day!
Callooh! Callay!
When I woke up yesterday morning, my body was complaining nearly everywhere from being too sedentary recently, due in most part to my not quite knowing what to do with myself when I can't go for walks. (No suggestions being solicited -- I know all the options -- I won't bore either of us by relating my reasons why not this or that.)
Back to yesterday morning when I looked out the window and I saw this sky:
I looked at weather.com and saw 65 degrees. I thought of my neighbor who, after his life-saving surgery, would walk the block in front of my house a little more each day while he rebuilt his strength. Remembering that inspired me. I didn't know how far I could walk, but I was going for a walk. I was going to enjoy this beautiful morning by being outdoors.
I stepped out into the breeze and I took that photo. Aimed at a different part of the sky, I took this one:
I walked slowly. Slowly enough that I could avoid the appearance of limping. My walking more closely resembled a stroll than exercise, but I kept moving. I walked down to the river. The wind made the surface choppy, and the water is still sort-of high. Dare I walk farther? Yes. I popped out from behind the flood wall at the next opportunity (Humboldt Street), partly to give myself more flexibility about how far to walk before heading back, and partly so that I could see the sky better. I took this photo:
I kept walking, paying close attention to my foot, moving slowly to avoid the temptation to limp. I took other photos, and this is the last one different enough to want to share:
According to Google maps, I walked a total of about 2 miles, very slowly. It was my first walk like this since before my injury in December. Hallelujah! I remembered how much I experience these walks as nurturing to my mood and frame of mind. I was reminded again later in the day when I effortlessly got over my resistance to experimenting with cooking the bok choy I bought the other day -- something I'd never prepared before but I always love when it's in Chinese food. I experimented with a different pan configuration than I'd used before, lightly sauteed it in a little oil, garlic, ginger, coconut aminos (they're new to me too but come highly recommended: http://bragg.com/products/bragg-coconut-aminos-soy-alternative.html), soy sauce, and rice vinegar, then put on a lid to let it steam a little while my other food finished cooking. Yum!
The most wonderful thing, though, results from the headache that had dogged me all morning finally driving me to take ibuprofen with my lunch. The combination of the long, slow walk and the ibuprofen resulted in my foot feeling better by evening than it had since I stopped taking the anti-inflammatories about 3 weeks ago. It still feels really good this morning, without more ibuprofen. This is very exciting! It gives me hope that soon I will be walking normally and that the next time I travel I can enjoy going for walks in nature. Calloo! Callay! (Since that may be an obscure reference to some of you, here's the context: http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html)
When I woke up yesterday morning, my body was complaining nearly everywhere from being too sedentary recently, due in most part to my not quite knowing what to do with myself when I can't go for walks. (No suggestions being solicited -- I know all the options -- I won't bore either of us by relating my reasons why not this or that.)
Back to yesterday morning when I looked out the window and I saw this sky:
I looked at weather.com and saw 65 degrees. I thought of my neighbor who, after his life-saving surgery, would walk the block in front of my house a little more each day while he rebuilt his strength. Remembering that inspired me. I didn't know how far I could walk, but I was going for a walk. I was going to enjoy this beautiful morning by being outdoors.
I stepped out into the breeze and I took that photo. Aimed at a different part of the sky, I took this one:
I walked slowly. Slowly enough that I could avoid the appearance of limping. My walking more closely resembled a stroll than exercise, but I kept moving. I walked down to the river. The wind made the surface choppy, and the water is still sort-of high. Dare I walk farther? Yes. I popped out from behind the flood wall at the next opportunity (Humboldt Street), partly to give myself more flexibility about how far to walk before heading back, and partly so that I could see the sky better. I took this photo:
I kept walking, paying close attention to my foot, moving slowly to avoid the temptation to limp. I took other photos, and this is the last one different enough to want to share:
According to Google maps, I walked a total of about 2 miles, very slowly. It was my first walk like this since before my injury in December. Hallelujah! I remembered how much I experience these walks as nurturing to my mood and frame of mind. I was reminded again later in the day when I effortlessly got over my resistance to experimenting with cooking the bok choy I bought the other day -- something I'd never prepared before but I always love when it's in Chinese food. I experimented with a different pan configuration than I'd used before, lightly sauteed it in a little oil, garlic, ginger, coconut aminos (they're new to me too but come highly recommended: http://bragg.com/products/bragg-coconut-aminos-soy-alternative.html), soy sauce, and rice vinegar, then put on a lid to let it steam a little while my other food finished cooking. Yum!
The most wonderful thing, though, results from the headache that had dogged me all morning finally driving me to take ibuprofen with my lunch. The combination of the long, slow walk and the ibuprofen resulted in my foot feeling better by evening than it had since I stopped taking the anti-inflammatories about 3 weeks ago. It still feels really good this morning, without more ibuprofen. This is very exciting! It gives me hope that soon I will be walking normally and that the next time I travel I can enjoy going for walks in nature. Calloo! Callay! (Since that may be an obscure reference to some of you, here's the context: http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html)
Great cloud photos! I like the second one (counting from the top) the best.
ReplyDeleteI thought you'd stopped your blog. Only reason I checked is because my tablet added your link to my most read (or maybe it's "don't you want to read this?") list.
ReplyDeleteSorry you're still having trouble with your foot. That's kind of sucky.
Jennifer