Celebrating Walking

This morning I walked down the hallway in my house to the kitchen. I live in a small ranch style house, so it is not a long hallway, probably not even 20 feet. As I walked I was celebrating the fact that I was walking without assistance (no cast, crutches or cane) and my ankle was moving freely without pain. Yes! I thank God for healing!

Physical therapy has been amped up considerably with 15 minute rides on the stationary bike and many more foot and leg exercises. I am enjoying most of it :) I was able to stop using the walking cast a few days ago, but I do still use the cane for all walking except in the house.

I went camping in our small travel trailer this past weekend with my husband and three boys, along with 12 other families from the area. This is an annual event at Poe Paddy State Park, near State College, Pa. Last year I only went because this is something we have done as a family for years and the boys love it. The weather matched my mood last year, with rainy nights and dreary days.

This year, even though I have limitations, I looked forward to going. I love being outdoors in nature. I enjoyed the shopping and getting ready process (though it was exhausting) The 3 days we were there it was gorgeous, not a drop of rain until we were pulling out of the campground. I had fun with the boys, with Jerry and with friends. One treat of camping is eating many roasted marshmallows, alone and in s'mores. I also had grilled shrimp and pork, fresh pineapple, cantaloupe, blueberries and mountain pies (a campfire tradition for us)

With the walking cast, I went on a short walk and a bike ride :) I did Sudoku puzzles, read a good book (Rumors of Another World, Philip Yancey) had late night conversations around the campfire, was mesmerized as I watch the needles of a friend's knitting hobby move rapidly in and out of the yarn, watched a raccoon scamper back and forth in the edges of the darkness from our tiki lights and listened to the river for hours. Penns Creek, misnamed because it is actually a fairly large river, runs right next to the campground and we had the site closes to it. The water was higher than normal for July due to recent rains, so the sound was vigorous.

As you can tell, it was a good weekend and I am thrilled with the progress of my ankle. Walking on the gravel of the campsite was great exercise for my ankle ... I used my walking cast in the evenings when my ankle was tired. Also, I am continuing to benefit more and more from the surgery to decompress the damaged nerve in my upper leg, as the pain is steadily decreasing. Yes! I am now midway in the 6 month recovery the doctor had assumed I would have. It will be wonderful if the pain continues to decrease in the next 3 months as it has so far ... that means I could be relatively painfree. I will be thrilled when that happens!

The next time you walk to the bathroom, the kitchen, the store or the neighbor, look at your feet and thank God that they can carry you where ever you wish to go.