May 162023
 

It has been unusually rainy and cold for this time of year. M and I lament that it is somewhat like our memories of our home countries when we used to live there. I took this photo yesterday when we had a brief morning respite from the rain. You can see the orange umbrella waiting to be put up by the pool – a little spot of color that represents our hope for sunny β˜€οΈ days to come. πŸ™πŸ½

On the bright side, I needed to focus on getting some work done that I have been procrastinating on for weeks, so the gloomy weather allowed me to do so without distraction. Plus, the deadline of ensuring my work got done before my mother arrives tomorrow was another motivating factor. πŸ€ͺ😬

Still, our ten day forecast looks rather grim… I am hoping 🀞🏽 that there will be some decent weather for my mom as we do our road trip to France and see some of the Mediterranean coast. I know we will have a good time either way, but sunshine does help!

No doubt, though, that once the warmer temperatures do arrive I shall be posting about sweating too much or something like that. First world problems as they say! πŸ™„πŸ˜œ

In any case, for the moment, I am waiting for more typical weather to return to us, but focusing on the positives! πŸ˜…

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

May 122023
 

So, this shall my last ankle recovery post unless there are some major milestones to share. This is because I am personally getting bored with thinking about it all the time, so I imagine it must be equally boring to read each week about the progress. Now that I am basically on the road to normal use with a bit of tightness and such, I can reduce updates to monthly or something like that. πŸ˜…

In any case, I did drive 7 hours one-way to France and back on my own last week (Saturday to Wednesday this week) and had no major problems. It wasn’t overly sore, though there was some swelling when I got to France. However, walking around the French market and the town was good for the healing. Plus, I’ve got my regular more yoga stretching for it.

Then, yesterday, I went back to salsa on my physiotherapist’s recommendation and approval. That made me super happy! πŸ’ƒπŸ½ It was a little sore last night when I got home after a full day out and an hour of dancing, but it was worth it. My muscles need a bit of attention and push anyway.

In any case, all is progressing well. Life is returning to normal. So, once this rainy weather decides to let spring/summer finally win out there will be nothing but sunny β˜€οΈ skies ahead. πŸ˜…

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

May 082023
 

When we first arrived in Italy some people recommended this thermal spa hotel in Viterbo, which is only an hour drive away. Since M and I had not really had much of a break together, I decided to book us in here for a night.

It was such a great idea – good job me!

We arrived in the late afternoon, got to our suite and then headed out to these pools (pic is a view from our room). They were indeed warm and felt therapeutic to body and soul. We had a nice dinner and caught up with each other without distractions of the pups, phones, TV, etc. The next day, we had a hammam and massage, which was very relaxing and calming.

It was a much needed moment to reconnect since my fall. So much of our focus has been on my ankle or scheduling life around physiotherapy, and so on. Therefore, it felt good to be just together without worry about all those other things.

We felt we would go back again for a day spa since it is so close, but we might not need to pay to spend the night as it is close enough to drive there and back. Anyway, it was a lovely little getaway.

Then, since I had been given the green light to drive and to go away, I decided it was my turn for a solo trip. I hit the road on Saturday morning and made the drive to France.

It wasn’t too bad with the ankle. I didn’t really need to stop more than twice, which is my normal amount anyway. I listened to my audiobook, podcasts, and enjoyed the beautiful weather for a long drive. I felt as if I was returning to myself again.

So, I’ll be here for another day and then heading back on Wednesday. It has been a great time spent for myself with friends and putting small personal touches to the apartment.

And, with that, I close with a smile and now it’s off to bed!

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

May 042023
 

It’s been a great week of almost normal walking. I’m still a bit of a hobbler when it comes to stairs or when I’m tired toward the end of the day. However, I’ve been green-lighted to go without the crutch in familiar terrain and home. So, all is well.

I will do a full reflection on this whole process next week as it has been a rather amazing ten weeks or so. Overall, I think that it has been quick and fairly painless, but it hasn’t all been lovely either.

Anyway, just wanted to close out the week with this – we stopped to take pics in a gorgeous poppy field!

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

May 022023
 

Well, another month is beginning. With almost ten weeks of life on hold, I am looking forward to returning to a more regular and familiar routine. Although I have managed to mostly maintain my positive attitude and patience with myself, M and the slower pattern of the days, I am eager to pick up the pace little by little.

Last Friday, I went to a new mindfulness group session that was conducted in mostly Italian. I had asked about joining a group almost a year ago, but when one started I couldn’t attend due to scheduling, etc. So, I was pretty excited to go and also to test out my Italian skills. It turned out to be an amazing time on many levels. One satisfying part was to realize my Italian listening is pretty good given I’ve only studied on DuoLingo. Another was to join a group where I could meditate in a peaceful energetic space – unlike at home most of the time. The best part was getting a reminder that baby steps are good. With small steps, I can assure my stability and assess the ground. If I move too fast, my feet and ankle are weaker plus I cannot fully sense what is underneath me to keep me safely on my feet.

So, while I am making really good progress with the ankle and will be hopefully returning to basic yoga soon, I still need to remember to take a pause, smell the new spring flowers, enjoy the rainstorms, and take those baby steps.

Happy May and to the month ahead!

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

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