Proud to be Walking!

Today, when I drove to Wal-mart, I did not park in the closest spot. In fact, I giggled as I passed it by. That's because I can finally walk!
 

I’d always taken walking for granted, until I tore out my ACL last Christmas. For the past four months, I’ve hobbled around home, used a walker or a cane, and rode a wheelchair through grocery stores and amusement parks. Yes, I still must amuse the family.
 

When I hurt my knee, my first thought (okay, second thought—you don’t want to hear my first) was wow, this is gonna be inconvenient. No doubt it has been. But I never dreamed of the things I would really miss.
 

*    Physical play with my kids—wrestling, trampoline, baseball, bike rides…sigh.

*    Hiking through the forest when the dogwoods bloom. This is a yearly tradition for me, one that I sorely missed.

*     Jogging. My other stress relief, after chocolate--but who has stress with 7 kids, right? Doc says I can jog in June—woo hoo! But no curving. It’ll be straight there. Stop. Turn around. Straight back. Try not to laugh if you see me.
 

But I’ve found things to be grateful for—supportive friends and family, kind strangers, my overall health, the fact that I will recover, the strength I’ve gained through this hardship.
 

I’m well on my way to healing. In other words, I no longer move like a child who’s pretending to be a horse! I hope I’ll always remember to treasure my blessings.
 

What things have you taken for granted in life and what was your wake-up call?