And it all came crashing down.

Life happens pretty fast. A week before Christmas, I was lifting the lid on a pot of meatballs that I was preparing to take to a pre-Christmas family gathering that afternoon - and a little over an hour later, I was in the hospital with a badly fractured elbow/forearm after taking a slip and fall on some ice just steps away from being safely back home from a walk. After a long five-day wait, I was on my way back to the hospital early Christmas Eve morning for surgery.

I look back now and realize how much we take the little things for granted - it may now be several months before I can do something simple like that again with my left hand/arm (if ever) - and I admit I’ve run the gamut of emotions these past weeks - from fear to anger, to helplessness/hopelessness, and self-pity - as all short term plans I had for 2022 now must be put on hold, and a fair amount of independence from day-to-day things and routines has been temporarily taken from me.

And yet.

I am grateful. I am surrounded by family and friends who love me and are here to support me through this. I have had top-notch medical intervention that I haven’t had to pay for out of pocket. I am right-handed. I am alive.

So yeah, it wasn't the merriest of Christmases. But I know somewhere in this there is a lesson to be learned, and wisdom to be gained, and this is just life, and shit happens. If nothing else, I know the next time I see someone with a broken limb in a cast, I’ll now empathize 100% more with what they’re going through. Because it’s so much more than “just a broken arm”.

I'm going to attempt to document my "journey" (hate that word, but I guess it's appropriate here) through this process on this blog, not only as a record of my own progress (or lack thereof) but perhaps to hopefully help someone else who, unfortunately, is going through something similar. I've been looking online for other people's stories, and so far they are few and far between, so hopefully, my story will be able to help others (or maybe even one person!) as I live through it.

As much as I'd like to add photos to these blogs, for the moment I'm going to stick to words only because I'm voice dictating from my computer as currently, I'm working with only one hand (mercifully I was left with my right and dominant hand). So for the moment, at least, it's just easier to have a written record.

Will check in again soon.