Currently- May

Linking up with Jennifer for Currently...

Loving- Walking! My gait is odd due to walking in not just a boot but a boot that has a wedge in the bottom to keep my toes pointing down. The combo of a boot and a wedge inside the boot has created quite a disparity in the length of my legs. And when leg sizes are unequal, normal walking is not possible! I have purchased shoes with a platform to wear on my left food in an attempt to equalize the length of both legs. Doing so has eradicated some of the length disparity but not all of it. Nonetheless, I am walking and that is the most important thing. 

Me and one big foot/ one small foot preparing to go to the garden- Normally I don’t have a plastic bag over my boot; however, I knew the ground was muddy and I didn’t want to have to clean up mud on the bottom of the boot when I came in. I have to wear this boot at all times including at night in bed so it’s paramount to me that the bottom of the boot is clean. Normally when I go out and come back in (just from a regular outdoor excursion, not one to the muddy garden), I wipe the bottom of the boot with Clorox wipes to get the bottom less gross/ germy. 

To the walking end, I am loving doing things that I couldn’t do (or could do but not remotely easily/ safely) for most of April: making meals, making our bed, doing laundry including putting everything away. I am happy to resume these responsibilities because it means I have mobility. 

Looking forward to- Abby comes home from school in mid May. Her school semester extends a little further into May than many colleges due to it having a January term (the J term means that the spring semester doesn’t start until the very end of January). So Abby won’t be home until the week after Mother’s Day. 

Abby and one of her roommates after playing pickleball back in March

I am looking forward to celebrating Alyssa graduating from high school (though I reserve the right to simultaneously feel very bittersweet about the very last major kid milestone occurring to our very last kid and to feel stressed about the celebration because I want it to be a great one). Also looking forward to the remainders of her lasts.

Last high school spring break came and went-  I got some great shots of my senior in her happy place- in Florida near the beach.

Seeing- I just went out back to look at my garden. Or where the garden will be. Or where the garden hopefully will be. If April showers bring May flowers, April’s non weeding bring May garden misdeeding. It’s a jungle weedy mess out there! I spent over an hour weeding and I should have spent much more time. 

Reading- I have read many great books recently and I plan to link up with some of my favorite bloggers for their inaugural book link up on Thursday. I am currently reading a non- fiction book about the Biblical book of Job. Reading Job in the Bible as part of my Bible reading plan made me realize that I wanted to read what insight Biblical scholars could proffer regarding some of the questions that I have about the book. 

I have also been spending a lot of time reading news articles online about the college protests taking place among many colleges and universities across the nation.

The news has been disheartening to read for obvious reasons and I have been tempted to stay away from it. But, I think that what is happening is too important to ignore and wish away. Jewish students and staff feeling physically unsafe on campuses seems way too Europe in the 1930’s to Pollyannishly not be informed about and say something about.  (At least for me!- I know that many don’t care to talk about current events/ politics in their blog posts but I write (a small portion of) what I feel like I should share.)

I know that some of the protesters are paid agitators and that the vast majority of students on these campuses just want to attend classes/ activities undisturbed.  

I was glad (to the extent one can be glad about anything related to protests) to read about the University of Florida’s stance vis a vis prohibited activities on its campus. The students were made aware of the consequences of engaging in prohibited activities and some were arrested for violating them. A statement from the university regarding the arrests read, “This is not complicated. The University of Florida is not a daycare, and we do not treat protesters like children- they knew the rules, they broke the rules, and they’ll face the consequences.” Thank you, University of Florida! 

Wanting- Peace in the Middle East (as does most everyone!) It is not going to happen, I’m afraid. I would love to be proved wrong.

Setting my sights substantially lower and personal to me- I am wanting to drive. It’s interesting how goal posts change with regard to my recovery. For most of April, all I thought about was walking and issues like not being able to drive seemed secondary. Now that I can walk, I am dreaming about driving. Alas, it will be a while. I won’t get the boot off until June at the earliest. I will then need physical therapy- I doubt that I will be able to go from boot free to driving right away (though a girl in a boot can dream...).I think some amount of PT will be necessary (hopefully not too much or too long!).