Pandemic, Patience, & A Broken Wrist
So it's been officially four months since I broke my wrist!! Almost two months since my cast was removed!! It's such a freeing feeling! I can use my dominant hand, and I wear a brace sometimes yet, I can see the progression.
So you may be wondering how did this happen, Shishandra??
Well, here's a story about a girl named Shishandra!! Lol. (Insert Brady Bunch Theme)
Nah, for real. During being "safe at home," I wanted to pick up on some hobbies that I hadn't completed in a while, like skating. I searched online for roller skates. The kind you would be issued at the skating rink yet since I took so long to make up my mind. Amazon sold out.
I thought about getting a baton. Yes, I was a majorette once upon a time, and I can still twirl a baton. It just didn't seem as much fun as skating.
So a friend of mine reached out to me about assisting them with a car issue. I'm not a mechanic, they only needed a jump, as their battery died. That's easy to do.
I assisted this friend, and they remembered I was looking for skates. Well, my friend's old roommate left not one but two pairs of rollerblades at their house. The roommate hadn't lived there in years, and they wanted me to have them. I was ECSTATIC! I was doing my happy dance, "I'm going skating!"
Later that same day, during my lunch hour, I had a zoom meeting, and with 20 minutes left of my break, I was determined to go SKATING. Now I haven't skated with roller blades in over 20 plus years. Yet, I was determined to try it.
I put the rollerblades on, and I made it outside to the sidewalk. As soon as I stepped off onto the concrete, I started to roll and lost my balance. Now I'm falling you all.
It happened so fast that my initial reaction was to try to break my fall. I reached back with my right hand, and all of my 130 plus pounds fell on my right arm. It was SOOOO hard. I was embarrassed, and the first thing I did was look around to see if anyone else saw it.
Then I was in a state of shock. I could barely move, and I couldn't get the roller blades off with using my left hand only. Luckily, the grass was near. I crawled over to it. I was able to stand up and walk to my stairs to get myself inside. I knew immediately I had broken something, I didn't know what. I called a friend and went to Urgent Care, and it was confirmed that I had a radial distal fracture on my right (dominant) hand.
I needed to tell you the story so you can understand what I learned and how God works:
Asking for help is okay I had to ask friends to help me with the things I use to do by myself. Simple things like opening a jar, rearranging my closet, and picking up Amazon packages. Asking for help is okay, it allowed me to know I don't have to do life alone. I have a great group of friends.
Adapt to doing things differently I broke my wrist on my dominant hand. I'm right-handed. I learned to type primarily with my left hand. Open up doors and drive with my left hand. I gauged my healing by whether I could open up my front door. The twisting of the wrist hurt, and in the beginning, my fingers were swollen moving my fingers were even hard to do. I didn't realize how much I used my right hand until I couldn't for months. Also, I sleep on my right side, and sleeping with a cast is very uncomfortable. It reminded me of how blessed I was to still able to use my wrist, and I did not have to have surgery. I just had to adapt to doing things differently for a while.
Use Your Gifts. Just because it was my dominant hand doesn't mean my strengths can't lie in other places. Whew, that is a whole WORD in itself. Since I had to learn how to adapt to not using my right hand and arm as much, I learned that my left hand, arm, and wrist is just as strong. I sew the face masks for (7 Millie Designs) and had lots of orders. I had to sew with one hand. Sewing with my left hand was new and sometimes I would find myself frustrated as it took me longer to sew as it was hard for me to guide the fabric with my left hand. Yet, I didn't give up even when the thread tangled in the bobbin; the thick fabric would get stuck in the sewing machine. I would step away from what I was doing and breathe so that I could return more level-headed this allowed me to go read or give myself a pep talk, "Shishandra. You got this." Also, I had an assistant who I would tell that I was going to quit. Thankfully, my assistant was encouraging and would not allow me to give up either. Now I can sew with my left hand pretty well and this enabled me to use all of my gifts and work on other creative endeavors that are soon to come for 7 Millie Designs.
4. Appreciate what you have.
I gained a new appreciation for all that I have. Being safe at home and taking my time with healing my wrist and other personal matters allowed me to complete a lot of reflections. I am appreciative of the patience I learned from this event and the subsequent events that transpired after. I am thankful that God allowed me to see how beautifully intricate he made my body. It has healing powers just from resting and not being used as much. My wrist is still not 100% sometimes when I use it too much either sewing, typing, or working on other creative endeavors it will start to ache. I just throw on the brace and let my armrest. I appreciated that I was fortunate to be able to rest my arm.
So I would not recommend rolling blading or completing any type of physical activity that you have not tried within the last ten years. Yet, I would encourage you to take advantage of rest, appreciate what you have, ask for help, adapt to doing things differently, and using all of your gifts.
Stay Safe, Love You, & Be Fashioned for Him!
With Care,
Shishandra D.