My Left Foot

It's been ten days since I injured my foot and what an education. Today I was thinking about how much I hate feeling weak and vulnerable. I was driving home from an errand and turned on rock and roll and was sort of bopping along with it and suddenly noticed it's the first day I've felt good enough to do anything like that since I was injured. And it reminded me how strong I feel most of the time -- and how arrogant I am -- and how "damn the torpedoes" I can be. Some of this attitude is good, but lots of it is just too much, and strangely, this injury has shown me a new strength in my vulnerability.

For one thing, it's showed me how I disconnect from people who are not strong like me. I really do. I don't want to see them or think about them or be near them. I don't want to feel broken. I want to feel like Wonder Woman, just shapely and invincible and perfect and able to leap tall buildings ... wait, that's Superwoman I'm thinking of or maybe Superman. But I learned more in the past ten days being hobbled than I've learned for months. We have a quiet grace in our weaknesses that makes us real and human. Also makes us open to the flaws in others and much more forgiving.

I've also realized I never could have managed without the help and kindness of countless people in the last ten days. I feel like I've been given an e-ticket to a Kindness Amusement Park. I can't believe how helpful and kind perfect strangers have been to me. Curbside at the airport in DC as it began to rain and the porters wheel me out of the weather, into the terminal. In the hotel where I was staying when I hurt myself, there are a multitude of helpful people. My friends called when I was home offering to do errands for me. People brought me treats -- silly little stuff, but it really cheered me up. I've started living in the most wonderful world. I never slowed down to see it before. It's wonderful and truly stunning.

We really are so boring until we have to face tough situations. Life is strange that way. We needn't be afraid of anything and this experience has remnded me of that. We needn't be afraid when there are so many nice people in the world. I am so lucky.