falls – Retirementally Challenged

They look like chopsticks, but there are actually three pins — They look like chopsticks, but they are actually three pins.

I had every intention to participate in this year’s Cherished Blogfest. I wrote about my U.S. Passport last year and had a couple ideas for what I would write about this time. Leading up to this past Friday, the first day of the Fest, I went back and forth in my mind about which one I would choose.

That all changed Thursday morning.

A morning that started out pretty routinely changed in just a matter of seconds. One moment, I was standing on a ladder helping my husband trim some bushes, the next moment I was laying on the concrete patio floor writhing in pain. My hip took the full force of my fall and it was immediately obvious that I had done some damage.

Looking back, I probably should have taken an ambulance straight to the emergency room but I’m kind of stubborn and decided instead to be driven to the local clinic for an evaluation. I was holding out hope that it was just a bad bruise and that I’d be sent on my way with some pain pills and an admonition to be more careful in the future.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case; I had fractured my hip and was transported to the hospital for surgery to put it all back together again.

I’ll spare you the details, but I now have three pins installed in my left hip. If all goes well—and there is no reason it shouldn’t—these pins will be a permanent part of my anatomy. They will allow the bones to heal correctly then live on to become the reason I can never go through regular airport screening again. They will be some of the most expensive metal bling I own, yet no one can see them.

At least my nail polish matches my walker.

So today, the final day of the Cherished Blogfest, my submission is about a cherished object I didn’t own just three days ago. I would rather not have to have these pins to hold things together, but I am happy that they are there doing the job.

I hope that, for next year’s Cherished Blogfest, I’ll be able to write about one of my other ideas. In the meantime, I’m planning on staying off of ladders unless I am fully encased in bubble wrap.

This year’s Cherished Blogfest is being held the weekend of July 29-31. Everyone is encouraged to participate by sharing something they cherish (limited to 500 words).

For additional Cherished Blogfest posts, click here.