Human. Being.

photo by Michael Foley

It's been three and a half weeks since I broke my knee on that fateful sledding trip (pictured above). I have managed to fit a lot in while somehow also being more still, for more days in a row, than at any other time in my adult life. I've vacuumed once, arduously, with one crutch. I've participated in a four day workshop at work, kept up the 9-5 pace except for a few excursions to doctors' offices, and watched from the sidelines as the cows relocated but I've also done a whole lot of nothing.

I've watched my kids do all sorts of chores they didn't know how to do before. I've ordered my dog and cat food online. I've sent my dad out for hay and sent my boyfriend out for groceries. I've worked from the comfort of my couch, invited the kids to tuck me into bed a few times rather than making the climb to their upstairs bedrooms, and read books in bed during the day more than once—something I loved to do as a child.

I think one of the lessons of this accident is that it's ok—good—delicious—to sit still. Maybe not always, but sometimes. I'm going to give myself permission to read books in bed even after my recuperation, and try to remember that I am not a human doing, but a human being.