Today I learned that one of my closest friends will have his foot amputated tomorrow.
It started with a hunting accident this past Sunday - he was pulling a gun up into a tree stand. The gun went off and shot him in the foot, and after several days in the hospital, undergoing initial surgery to remove the bullet, he’s decided that amputation is the best choice he has.
Bad news is - it’ll take a lot of time, PT, and learning to use a prosthetic or two before he can bike or ski again. But the good news - he might be walking again in as soon as three months, hopefully. He will bike and ski again, eventually.
I am lucky to have a large, very close knit group of friends that does everything together. We are all avid skiers and mountain bikers. We have weekly “Date Nights” on Fridays where we all get babysitters and night ski, or night bike, no matter the weather. We each do something outdoors nearly every day, in some shape or form. We are fortunate, and privileged, to live in a place with wide open outdoor spaces, where we have been able to continue to see each other throughout most of the pandemic (until recently).
Today, as I was working out by myself in my basement, I felt incredibly thankful to be able to move my body. I’ve had my share of injuries and illness, and being healthy is not something I take for granted. But today I felt especially thankful. As much as I hate working out - it’s a chore - today I was happy to be able to do it. I paid attention to how much work my feet do for me. I’m thankful for my feet. Thankful for my friends. Thankful for the outdoors. Thankful for my family. Thankful for all of it.
Every Tuesday my Two Writing Teachers colleagues and I host the Slice of Life Story Challenge. Teachers from all around the world participate in sharing a story each week.