Monday, June 09, 2014

Limping and Otherwise Slow-walking

Due to a series, or well, two, unfortunate and unrelated events, I've had the opportunity to spend a lot of time moving more slowly.  I tripped and injured my foot, which was a fairly invisible injury.  (Yes, I can hear my friends interjecting that my foot swelled and was fun bruisey colors, and I kept the toes wrapped for some time, but unless you looked closely at my shoes it was not super obvious.)  Next, I injured my knee in such a manner as to require a knee immobilizer, a lovely contraption that basically runs from just above the ankle to almost embarrassingly high on the thigh.  Now, in addition to more obvious limping, there was a more obvious cause to my slow pace.  Interestingly, people seem much more accommodating when they can see the reason for your slow pace which is a weird combination of lovely and sometimes over-protective.  (I should probably mention that I am terrible about asking for help, so my over-protective might resemble someone else's helpful.) 
It has also led to strangers feeling a greater need to comment and either give me advice, ir inquire how to avoid such a similar state for themselves.  I recognize that I am often endlessly curious and sometimes overbearing in my need to give advice, it can be a natural human response to try to both sympathize and fix people.  So, I share this understanding that most of it comes from a place of good. 
Things people say to the limping lady:
-And I thought I was slow.  (Slow-walking elderly lady, said with a smile.)
-My doctor told me to keep my knee flexed rather than straight.  (I gently responded that my doctor had advised me to keep my leg straight.) 
-Don't get a speeding ticket! (Knee-slapping gentleman.)
-Did that hurt? (A surprising number of people.)
-Oh, my.  I hope it gets better. (Also a number of people.)
-If you were mine I would carry you.  (Stranger on street.)
-Mom! Mom! Look at that lady! (Several understandably curious children.)
-I could take you home and give you a foot massage.  (Stranger on street.) 
-It will get better.  (Neighbor.)
-Hey, brace lady.  What did you do? (Neighbor wearing a similar knee brace.)