In the early 80s my brother had an eye injury. It wasn't life threatening. He felt fine, but the doctors sedated him for a week to keep him quiet and allow his eye to heal. There was great danger of him suffering permanent damage if he exerted himself. I understood that treatment plan then. I understand it even more now.

I have had my hip brace off for 4 days and I have had to remind myself, almost hourly, that there is still much healing to do. This repair is a bit of a gamble and I want to do everything I can to better my odds.

But, while I'm being careful, there are also signs of a return to life. I drove to work. I went out for groceries instead of them coming to me. I got to sit in a seat at a concert. I moved the TV out of the bedroom. I'm prepping pumpkins for the first pies of the season. Next week I'll be bringing home a foster cat for the first time in many months. Breakfast at my favorite diner. Even simple things like sleeping on my side and seeing to my pedicure are huge this week. And I cannot express strongly enough the advantages of wearing pants as the weather turns colder!

I look forward to venturing a little further from home in the coming weeks, maybe meeting friends for dinner; hearing about my friends' promotion experiences in New York; going to a Joan Baez concert; staffing a table for Thousand Waves at a conference; and lots and lots of PT.

Meanwhile, this has been an extremely hard week for so many people. Check on each other. Call senators. Rage scream. Cry. Go to karate. Go to yoga. Go to the gym. Go for a run. Do whatever you need to take care of yourself and those you care about. And in a few weeks vote!! And don't forget to take a walk in the crunchy leaves and drink lots of warm beverages with friends. I have to believe that we will get through this.

OSU!!