I went to the prosthetist yesterday and, after an hour of tweaking a new test socket, I am completely comfortable. The absence of pain is completely liberating! Even though this leg is considerably heavier (because the test socket plastic is so thick), I feel like I have a new pep in my step.
It is a good thing that I am feeling energetic this morning because I have a lot to do. I haven't wrapped any presents, and I feel like Christmas is approaching like a freight train. I know I will get it all done and I am trying to not feel overwhelmed, but it is easy to become lost in my sea of anxiety.
I really miss Mr. Bill this time of year. I always used to store my presents in his house, dropping them off by his back door whenever something new was purchased. Mr. Bill would go into elf mode, unboxing and fully assembling everything for me.
During Christmas week I would sneak over to his house, spread my supplies across his dining room table and wrap all of the presents. He would listen to his Greek music and spin me tales from his childhood while I was tangled in tape and paper. Inevitably he would tell me that I bought too much which always parlayed into the story of his Christmas when he was five years old.
As the story goes, all he wanted for Christmas was a toy gun with a holster. He talked about that gun to everybody he met and wrote letters to Santa. He fetched the water for his Mom and helped his Dad tend to the goats everyday leading up to Christmas. On Christmas morning he couldn't wait to open his presents. He didn't receive his gun, instead he unwrapped a "stupid" bow and arrow.
His Dad told him that a bow and arrow was more useful than a toy gun. Young Mr. Bill was upset and put the bow and arrow down, pouting for the rest of the morning. Finally, his Dad told him to get his bow and they would go shoot outside. Bill grabbed the bow, drew back and arrow and let it fly- right through the screen door of their little house. His Dad grabbed the bow and he never saw it again.
He would always finish his story with a sigh, a wink and a comment about being a troublemaker from a young age. My goodness I miss him!
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