People at the gym come up and talk to me with my boot on. The boot really draws them in. So far just elderly people. …Nothing against anyone who thinks they are “elderly.” I hope to be elderly some day. Anyways this one man came up to me while I was on the abductor machine last week. “What did you do to your foot?” He asked me. I started to explain what happened and he looked a bit blank, I explained a bit further and he cut me off suddenIy, exclaiming “I know what the sesamoid bone is!” He then made some grumpy comment that I think was meant to be encouraging and was on his way. The next lady also caught me while I was on the abductor machine. You’re kind of trapped there- you’re sitting down and it’s not easy to get in and out of. Both times when the people approached me I thought they were coming to tell me that they were using the machine I was on and I needed to get off. This woman started off with, “Congratulations!” Which confused me…what did I do that deserved congratulating? She followed up with “I just got my boot off last week!” She explained that she was only now getting back to the gym and congratulated me again- apparently for being at the gym with a boot on.
My final gym interaction came later, as I was getting out of the shower. The shower is a challenging thing to do on one leg, so I’m sure I looked like I was in anguish, but I was really just trying not to fall over. A lady coming out of the steam room looked down at my foot and let out a little gasp and said “That looks painful!” I looked down. My foot did look kind of look of gross. But mostly just from wearing the boot. It was like puffy and stale looking from being stuck in there! And it was kind of red because I had just itched it I think. The funny thing is it didn’t hurt at all- it just looked scary.
Wearing this boot in New York City does give you a lot of street cred (In some situations). There was a man in the stairwell that goes down to the subway begging people for money. When I got to him, instead of asking me for money he told me to “Take it easy and God Bless”. I thanked him. But he was just getting fired up. He called after me, “Take it slow, wherever you’re going will still be there when you get there!” I thanked him again as I started working on the next set of stairs. He called after me, “I learned that from my psychiatrist!”. This delighted me beyond belief.
The boot definitely makes some people think that they can talk to you. Or should talk to you. A lady waiting near me on the street corner wanted to tell me all about how she knows what it is like. And she told me all about how she had a boot for….. a long amount of time I can’t remember. Then she proceeded to tell me about how she still wasn’t better and it’s still all wrapped up. Then she went on to her back pain. She let me in on several details about it, including the therapist she still sees for it. “You should try yoga!” I told her. This was new and exciting information to her- she received this information as if it might be the answer to all her problems and promised to try it, and then she continued to describe the issue(s) to me. I made sure to to slide in “…well I’m not a doctor.” I wished her good luck and even though we happened to be walking the exact same direction, I hobbled away from her quick enough to end the conversation.
Then of course, there are those people who rush right past me nearly knocking me over. Simply walking the normal way you do in New York- with a clear motivation and physical direction. If you hesitate in your path you will run into someone. But I want to yell at these people LOOK DOWN I HAVE A BOOT!! I haven’t asked anyone to let me sit down on the subway yet (There’s always been a seat when I’ve gone on the subway). But I’m nervous I might have to at some point…. ug.
One day this week (A day that I did end up learning the hard way that I simply cannot walk so much) I was grumbling in my head as I walked down the street. Grumbling that I had to be in this boot. Poor me. Walking is so hard now. I have to go so slow. I’m so uncomfortable. I’m all lopsided. I looked down the street and was quickly lifted out of my pity party. There, walking towards me was a man walking with not one but two mechanical legs. He stood tall and proud. I tried not to watch him like a creep. As he got closer I looked at him. I felt him notice me look and he smiled to himself just slightly. He walked on past and on with his life into New York masses. It is moments like these that I know the people I pass on the street are not random. None of this is.
I went to church last week and temple the week before that. Mak’n my way round town ;). I had heard from a friend that this church had a Rabbi giving the message the week she went, so I was intrigued. When I walked into the church I was immediately stunned to silence in my soul. It was so grand and so gorgeous. The very tall, stone ceilings. The sculptures within the architecture. The beautiful stained glass. The church was the most “mixed” church I had ever been two. It was very close to being half white and half black. And it was so cool. Reading their program I learned that the senior minister there was the seventh senior minister of that church, and the first woman to serve in that position. Also cool. They wrote in their program “Whoever you are: You are safe here. You are loved here. You are invited into full participation in our life together.” This shook me. Because first of all- how wonderful. I have almost never seen a church write these things in their program before. And secondly why the heck was this so surprising to see in a church program? That was the upsetting part for me.
The temple was also gorgeous. I did notice that most of the painting was red and green and reminded me of Christmas. This made me laugh in my head. The service was incredibly long. I swear it was not a special occasion and just a regular Saturday morning service. And I swear it was a reform temple! Both questions my dad interrogated my with when I told him it was about two hours and twenty minutes long. I did notice that most people didn’t actually show up until about an hour in… ahhh so that’s the way to do it. There is over an hour of prayer and song in the beginning. I don’t speak Hebrew. But I would like to learn. It was calming to be around the prayer. And a little stressful at the same time. Hebrew is so cool. Every time I learn a Hebrew word it seems to be equal to ten English words in the weight of its meaning. The sounds of Hebrew also lul me to sleep. Maybe I should listen to it late at night when I am having trouble sleeping. Then I will learn it and also fall asleep.
I’m not sure either of these places were my place. But I did love them both as places. The search continues. Peace and love to you all! May your feet be blessed as well as the path they walk down.
This is Boot Girl in the audition line. It looks like she hovers… but she has a secret stool. She looks happy because audition lines are always better with friends.
You remind me of when I was in a boot for many, many months. A lot of women stopped to tell me their boot stories and most of them said they’d ended up having surgery. Why would you share that part? Did they think I’d just rip the boot off and head into the OR? I do wish I had walked more slowly in mine. I got tired of creeping along and started walking my normal pace, which is rather fast. If it hadn’t been for my support sock that I wore forever after the boot, my foot and leg would have been in deep trouble by now. Happy you are adapting to yours – I know it isn’t easy!