Thud day...

April 7th marked the anniversary of my epic fall last year, which resulted in a dislocated shoulder and changed my life for many months.  So we celebrated what I will forevermore call, "Thud Day."

Rachel and I had pineapple juice with a splash of champagne with lunch...

and Chris and I went out for supper with our friends.  There was a band there, which was quite good, and I danced. A lot.  I don't dance very well, but I like it, and I had a blast bopping around.  It seemed so good to be able to dance and move and rejoice when a year ago I was in very sad shape.

When I went to the emergency room after my fall, someone there told me I'd be pretty much back to normal with three months. Three months seemed an impossibly long amount of time to me.  But it turned out that the damage to my shoulder was more severe than they realized, and now, a year later, I have about 80% mobility of the joint.  But I can do what I need to... lift my arm to wash and comb my hair, pick up wiggling dogs, shovel horse manure, hug my husband.  I can even throw a ball for Bravo, something we both enjoy.

I didn't like what we called, "being broken."  I didn't do it very well.  I pushed the limits and did more than I should have at first. But I was determined and tenacious about getting well, and followed my amazing physical therapists instructions to the letter.  So now, with spring finally returning on tiptoes over the landscape, I can look back over the last year and delight in the wholeness and general wellness of my body.  After a night of unaccustomed dancing my knees, hips and ribs are complaining, but it feels rather good.  I can move and rejoice.

I can do my work and enjoy my life and for this I am grateful. Sometimes it takes an epic event to sharpen ones focus, and my injury did that for me.  It made me appreciate my wonderful, helpful, loving family even more than I already did. They were so kind, patient and supportive while I healed.  And Rachel and I working together made us even closer than we already were. We realized that not only do we enjoy being mother and daughter, we make an excellent work team.

So I am celebrating Thud Day and good health. My sense of gratitude was honed by my injury, and I am embracing life with a dash of extra joy.