It's Okay to be a Teenager& Bravery

(a picture of a person who is almost a teenager- name: J)

 

Readers,

 

Remember how I told you about my lame injury-  the little one that became a fat one -toe one?

 

Around Christmas I was barefoot for some reason and trying to do last minute 'decking of halls' when a chair leg divided my baby toe from the one next to it. The one it needs to stay next to.

At all times or else imminenet surprise along with wailing and knashing of teeth can commence.

The breach in toe positioning protocal sent me rolling out of my room, down the hall, and somehow in the family room where I cried like a baby at the base of the Christmas tree.





I don't know if many of you have seen me lately but I am not the wasting away waif I have been in earlier times.... I resemble the Bear on Brave that Merida's mom turns into and the blueberries they eat. Good thing the padding was there but still it was an amazing feat for me to make that kind of ground in such a small amount of time!

Anyway, it has throbbed like the Dickens and so today, after being on my feet for a bit, I had to put it up on a chair in a waiting room. LUCKILY, it was an appt. during the noon hour. So I was by myself.
Well, me and a secretary. And the nurse and I are friends- it is a casual atmosphere.

I was studiously writing Christmas/Winter Solstice letters and the room started to slowly fill up with people. The clock was getting nearer to 1 and my appt. time was passing and I started to panic.

I had made the little area into an impromtu office and my desk areas are scattered like a wanna be writer's office would be, and there are all these people coming into my "office." AACK!

Instead of looking like some modern writer, who is a professor and is sent on leave to different countries and is paid to wear cool glasses, clothes, and bring back the Lost Ark- I looked like a Bear, spread eagaled - actually it looked more like a Bear at the OB's office with her legs up in the stirrups.

OR it appeared that I had no manners and was sitting there like some punk kid with her foot up on furniture. With her Sorels on for good measure. This is not good etiquette, Readers!



But Like I said it was the noon hour and I was ALONE!





(I had the foot off to the side so it didn't touch the fabric. - It hurt that bad, Readers. I was desperate! And an ice pack was nowhere to be seen. Actually I didn't ask for one cause that would look even more weird- mom with Trekking cane, puffy, writing cards and Christmas is over.... the list could go on and on.)

Frantically I eyed the clock, the opening and closing of the door, the gimp foot- AGH! What do I do???

So I on settled on the public apology and started to bring my foot down, re-arrange the desk I'd made out of the chair for my letter writing, and purse holding.



Me- Joking: "My toe is twice as big as it should be, sorry! I don't mean to sit here and rudely throw my leg up on the furniture, like a teenager or something!"

Then a lady, who appeared to have been through a lot,  looked up and kindly said: "There's nothin' wrong with being a teenager." 
I held a card mid air. Her words all the sudden seemed profound. As if they should be written on one of those cute boards and displayed in your house or kitchen. Or outside your house during the holidays.

Can't you just see it? Kinda like my BELIEVE sign? Instead of that it would be all lit up with twinkling lights and say: "It's O.K. to be a Teenager." And families would drive around and look at it on Christmas Eve to build the Christmas spirit. Cause teens are.... well, they are O.K. to be!!

This woman's words gave me a sigh of relief. And feeling of acceptance.

I wouldn't have to wait for my appt. in a chair as all the blood in my body decided to rush to and pool in my pinky toe.

 Instead, I could prop it up, reduce the hurt, and ENJOY writing my Christmas letters! It was the kindest and most profound thing I had heard in a few days.

 I apologized to the one teen in the room. And she laughed it off like it was no big deal and suddenly I felt like I was Ebenenzer Scrooge being given a second chance. She even seemed to be thinking that for herself, being in the hell ascious moments of life as a teen- was maybe not so bad.

The spirit of Christmas seemed to settle on the humble room.  I just wish that the feeling it gave me would have over flowed into the feeling that I would need to have if they have to re-break my toe and straighten it out. yikes.

Which brings us to the need for more BRAVERY.

I don't know if you Readers remember that The first theme to mine and J's Christmas 2014, (Extracted from the chosen 2014 Christmas book: The Christmas Wish, was BRAVERY.

Be Brave
Be Kind
Believe



I went ahead and kept my foot propped up on the chair empowered with the comment.
And I will need to stop there. Major pain progressing in the right rib. CT scan didn't say much. So we have a long road of being brave ahead.

Great. Rather stub my other toe.