Lean to the Left, Lean to the Right.

So I was trying to get some artwork done before church, and I had to get to church early for choir practice, and I lost track of the time because I always lose track of the time when I am doing artwork, and I ended up being in a hurry when I was getting dressed, so I let my feet poke around my closet floor to find my shoes and slip into them while I concentrated on buttoning up my blouse. I figured I could do this because I am very good at talking and chewing gum at the same time, just ask Mike.
Anyway, I managed to get myself dressed and to choir practice and then helping with class, when I noticed someone taking a double look at my feet. I glanced down and realized I was wearing unmatched shoes, a left from one pair and a right from another.
Here's the thing - I usually only have one pair of shoes for each footcovering purpose in my life. One pair of dress shoes, one pair of dress boots, one pair of walking shoes. Never have I thought "Oooh, I would love to go and shop for shoes!" It is more along the line of "Shoot, this pair is wearing out. I guess I have to get another pair of shoes". But I was at Goodwill the other day looking for some dress boots because mine have worn out (see above). I love shopping for clothes/shoes at Goodwill because I get to spend most of the time looking for old, really cool books that I turn into artwork, and only a little bit of time forcing myself to look for much needed but less important shoes. I guess someone who has the same size and weird shape of foot that I have must have cleaned out their closet and taken about a dozen pair of dress shoes and boots to Goodwill, because I actually found a few pair that fit perfectly. I ended up getting some boots and two, count them two pair of dress shoes, and my other ones have not even worn out.
So when I let my feet search around for the shoes, and slip them on, I did not consider that there was more than one pair for them to find.
When I mentioned this to a friend at church, she laughed and said, "At least both of your shoes are black. I have done that and not only were they different shoes, but also different colors."
I wondered why I seemed to be tilting a little that morning. But overall, my different right and left shoes got along pretty well.
I hope other things that tilt a little left and a little right can learn to do the same.

Ya Think?!

Mike is doing better. He was able to come home from the hospital after 2 days. He is not one who likes limiting his activity. He is one who is used to getting up by 5:30 in the morning so he can enjoy a beautiful sunrise before he charges into the day.

Only 2 months ago, he was very considerately helping me recover from surgery, reminding me to be patient and give myself time to heal. When I was discouraged, he was very kind and helpful. Now he is trying to let me encourage him to be patient.

Yeah, that's going well.

He has been deeply touched by all the kindnesses shown by so many people. And he is very anxious to return to all his work, service and recreational activities. He went on a hike a few days after the accident, he has been doing the home therapy exercises very consistently, he rode his bike on the indoor trainer within a week. We saw the osteopath last week. He said, with Mike being a non-smoker, non-drinker, no medical condition, good health and attitude, he could expect 98% recovery. When Mike glared at him, he quickly said, "Okay, you could probably get 100% recovery." Mike is going for 110%.

Unfortunately, he seems to think he should be at 110% by the end of the week.

As he so kindly reminded me last month, recovery is not always steady. It tends to go up and down like a roller coaster. One of the ways it does that is when one kind of pain seems to improve, another takes over and knocks you flat. Mike is finding out the many ways broken ribs and shoulder can hurt. He seems to be learning creative ways to find all the levels of the pain of healing, and get through them quickly.

Early Sunday morning, since he couldn't sleep, he got up very early, dressed in his suit, called for a ride, went to his early church leadership meetings, met me for choir practice before church, tried for three hours to find a comfortable way of sitting through church, went to a meeting after, and when he was finally home, let me put ice on his back and feed him painkillers. I had been trying for hours not to drag him back home and force him to rest. As he sat there, wincing in agony, he said, "I don't get it. I have this very sharp pain starting at my neck and shooting across my shoulder down my arm."

Any semblance of Florence Nightingale went out the window.

"Well, maybe, just maybe you have this pain because you broke your shoulder and ribs and just got out of the hospital!"

So anyway, Mike is progressing. Not sure I am.