Monday, March 19, 2007
ONE YEAR ON.........
So there it is.
12 months have past and many things have changed.
I for one, am glad that on this 17/18th of March I was able to walk a few steps around without any crutch at all.
It's not much, but considering that this time a year ago the only thing I could move was my head, I think it's a vast improvement.
There's nothing quite like lying on your side in the middle of a road, in the middle of the bush and, trying to move all the sore bits and pieces and finding you can't, to really put life in perspective.
From being but a smear upon the landscape to regaining the ability to perform something resembling walking, is pretty darn good as far as I'm concerned.
It's nice to be able to do all those things we generally take for granted, like having a shower ( took 2 weeks in hospital and even then it had to be done by nurses ), being able to go to the loo AND clean yourself up afterwards, having two hands available to 'do stuff', being able to catch a tram or drive a car ( obviously the bike thing is out of the question ), prepare a meal or even put on a barbecue!
I even spoke to the occupational therapist today and we'll be having a meeting with my new manager on Thursday in order to discuss a 'return to work' program.
As with a year ago, I'm still in pain, although it is just a fraction of what I felt back then.
A year ago it became very apparent that I was rather poorly when I tried to locate parts of my body that didn't hurt.
I ran out of parts very quickly.
I still don't know how I stayed conscious through it as my helmet had its own fractures bearing witness to the impacts involved, but it's not something I'll forget easily.
Especially with Al's smash occurring a week ago!
A year ago we and (Sydney) Geoff, John P., Gino and Adam were embarking on what was to be a weekend of cruising around the state on our two wheeled contraptions.
A year on and I'm still screwed up and Al's in the I.C.U., knocked out with drugs and facing amputation of his arm.
Life dances to a different beat than we mere mortals do.
Saturday's barbecue went very well, and couldn't have happened without the help of my mates.
It was good to see some of the people who had helped and supported me in the last 12 months and especially Al's family and friends.
I hadn't seen some of these fine people for too long a time and it was good to catch up and even have a chat about all the smashes and what not.
Consider it the kind of therapy americans pay a lot of money to other people for.
If only they had mates like mine.
I didn't know how Al's family would react to being invited to a barbie in the light of all that's happened in the last week, but I'm glad I did.
I think it did them some good to get a change of scenery and maybe see that eventually there is some light at the end of the convalescence tunnel.
12 months have past and many things have changed.
I for one, am glad that on this 17/18th of March I was able to walk a few steps around without any crutch at all.
It's not much, but considering that this time a year ago the only thing I could move was my head, I think it's a vast improvement.
There's nothing quite like lying on your side in the middle of a road, in the middle of the bush and, trying to move all the sore bits and pieces and finding you can't, to really put life in perspective.
From being but a smear upon the landscape to regaining the ability to perform something resembling walking, is pretty darn good as far as I'm concerned.
It's nice to be able to do all those things we generally take for granted, like having a shower ( took 2 weeks in hospital and even then it had to be done by nurses ), being able to go to the loo AND clean yourself up afterwards, having two hands available to 'do stuff', being able to catch a tram or drive a car ( obviously the bike thing is out of the question ), prepare a meal or even put on a barbecue!
I even spoke to the occupational therapist today and we'll be having a meeting with my new manager on Thursday in order to discuss a 'return to work' program.
As with a year ago, I'm still in pain, although it is just a fraction of what I felt back then.
A year ago it became very apparent that I was rather poorly when I tried to locate parts of my body that didn't hurt.
I ran out of parts very quickly.
I still don't know how I stayed conscious through it as my helmet had its own fractures bearing witness to the impacts involved, but it's not something I'll forget easily.
Especially with Al's smash occurring a week ago!
A year ago we and (Sydney) Geoff, John P., Gino and Adam were embarking on what was to be a weekend of cruising around the state on our two wheeled contraptions.
A year on and I'm still screwed up and Al's in the I.C.U., knocked out with drugs and facing amputation of his arm.
Life dances to a different beat than we mere mortals do.
Saturday's barbecue went very well, and couldn't have happened without the help of my mates.
It was good to see some of the people who had helped and supported me in the last 12 months and especially Al's family and friends.
I hadn't seen some of these fine people for too long a time and it was good to catch up and even have a chat about all the smashes and what not.
Consider it the kind of therapy americans pay a lot of money to other people for.
If only they had mates like mine.
I didn't know how Al's family would react to being invited to a barbie in the light of all that's happened in the last week, but I'm glad I did.
I think it did them some good to get a change of scenery and maybe see that eventually there is some light at the end of the convalescence tunnel.
That's me being all ghostly like. I guess I came very close to becoming one..
