Life Lately: May 2023
As most readers know, this month has been entirely focused on my recovery from a major hip surgery. My surgery took place at the end of April - I spent a week in the hospital before coming home. The first couple of weeks were particularly challenging, and my mobility has been very (purposefully) limited. Let me first say how overwhelmed I was/am with the help and support of so many people. I feel so grateful to have a community, both from afar and locally (which I worked really intentionally to cultivate). At the four week mark, I finally feel like I’ve turned the first corner. It’ll still be many, many months until I’m back to “normal” but I’m working hard to focus on the little wins along the way.
I won’t spend too much time diving into the first month of recovery, but I’ll share that I was in bed essentially 24/7, with a bit of time each day in a chair. I’m now able to finally go downstairs (!) which means I can begin to sit outside for 30 minutes each day and I was finally cleared to use crutches instead of a walker, which is a game changer for me. For context, I once calculated that I’ve spent a little over a year of my life on crutches - so I’m very comfortable on them! Next week I’ll start outpatient PT, which feels like a big move. Mentally, I’m preparing myself to begin to do the work. I want to be at a place where I’m better than ever, so I’ll be psyching myself up every day to put in the time and energy required to heal. I’ll be noticing the pain (I mean…my pelvis is still broken in four places and I have some realllly big screws in there) but remembering that it’s “productive” pain. And I’ll keep my eye on the end goal - getting back not only to my daily walks, but to a life without chronic pain, and maybe even an opportunity to run for the first time in over a decade. Note to self: You’ve Got This.
Watching/Reading/Listening:
If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I’ve been reading constantly. I am averaging about a book per day, and a couple new shows each week. Here’s what I’ve read (the ones that are bolded are ones that I highly recommend): The Social Climber, The Prisoner, The Light We Carry, Wish You Were Here, The Nickel Boys, Woman on Fire, Mad Honey, All The Dangerous Things, The Writing Retreat, Greenlights, Four Thousand Weeks, Don’t Believe Everything You Think, The Personal Assistant, and Maame. In terms of shows, I’ve watched Shrinking (obsessed), Jury Duty, Love is Blind Season 4, Beef, Kardashians, Selling Sunset, Buying Beverly Hills, A Million Little Things, Next Level Chef, Law and Order SVU, The Rookie, 911, and Accused. And obviously, Succession. And Queer Eye! I haven’t listened to any podcasts - there are my go-to when I’m in motion, so I’ll get back to them at some point.
What I’m Loving: I have a couple product highlights for the month. Now, I have been coveting the Nugget Ice Maker for a long time (thanks, Instagram) but cannot justify spending $500+ on an ice machine. Instead, I purchased this one for much less - it’s been a must-have for my hourly icing of my hip. I gave in (again, thanks Instagram) and bought a 40oz Stanley. For me, it was necessary to have something big, so those taking care of me wouldn’t need to constantly refill it. And, I must say - I love it. I’m a Yeti girl at heart, but this one has got me re-thinking things (especially when I get back to driving). If you’re local to me, shoutout to my new favorite food joint, Fattoush Grill & Bakery, in Northborough. Wow, this food is 10/10.
101 in 1001: I’ve clearly been making a lot of progress towards my book goal on my 101 list (!). I also unplugged from social media for over a week (my goal was a weekend). Granted, I was in a bit of a haze for the first two weeks of surgery, but it feel great to be off of social for a bit. I learned a lot about how it does and doesn’t serve me, and I plan to continue to make changes for how I integrate it into my life and work moving forward. I’ve started on my photo and google drive de-cluttering projects, and hope to have those wrapped up next month!
