Smiling and Faking

I've been home from Arizona for several days, and things are starting to settle back into place. The laundry mountain has been turned into a small hill with each load, and I am beginning to believe that someday we will be caught up. I spent yesterday working nearly non-stop, allowing me to take a chunk out of  my to-do list. After a few more days, I hope to be completely caught up on everything that was pushed to the side during the trip.  (It's a good thing that we aren't going on a proper vacation this year, I don't think I could handle the work afterwards!)

I have accepted that one lingering effect of conference will remain long after the housework and reports are complete. In a hotel bursting with amputees, I was normal. Back in my hometown, I am again the oddity. It is taking me some time to readjust to the stares and second glances.  I know that I will eventually acclimate to the attention my prosthesis garners, but it is going to take me a few more days.

Yesterday we went to the grocery store, where I was acutely aware of the not so concealed attention from the twenty-something in the yogurt aisle who proceeded to knock over a row of little cups in her attempt to act natural.  Typically, watching her try to reassemble the yogurt display would have made me giggle, but yesterday I felt like crawling into a hole. I asked Scott if I was receiving more stares than normal, because it felt like I was walking around with purple horns plastered on my forehead, but he promised that the attention has not increased.

Obviously I can try to conceal my leg by wearing pants, but it is 95+ degrees out and I am not terribly keen on overheating and being uncomfortable.  I will eventually adjust to the reactions my prosthesis receives, but it will probably take another few days. In the meantime, I'm going to hold my head high, but a big smile on my face and fake it. I'll pretend that I'm confident and comfortable, and eventually my feelings will follow suit.  I continue to be amazed by the impact of a few short days of being in the majority.