In the last 6 weeks I have come to gain a great new respect for those who type with one finger. In January I had a joint replaced in my left little finger….yes they can do that! I also had the carpel tunnel issue in my left hand fixed.
I came home from same day surgery with a wrapped hand and a finger that resembled a snowman with all the white gauze that was wrapped around it. I also was cautioned not to sign any legally binding documents for the next 24 hours….I am still not sure where they thought I would be going or what I would be doing once I got home.
I ended up with a removable splint on my finger for 6 weeks. The first few weeks the splint had to be left on, except to shower. I discovered it is indeed very hard to dress with one hand. (sweats are the pants of choice in that case!) It is actually hard to do a lot of things with one hand.
At one point I really wanted to do something normal, like bake something. I thought I would do something easy like make box brownies. It all went great putting the ingredients in the bowl….then I got out the hand mixer and realized I needed a second hand to hold the bowl while I mixed! My husband was more than happy to do that job, he also was delegated to put the batter in the pan and put the pan in the oven.
By the time two weeks rolled around I was totally ready for the stitches to come out. I went to a niece who is a PA to have her do that. This was done under the watchful eye of my 4 year old great-niece. She asked if it hurt and I told her, honestly, that yes….it smarted but it would feel so much better once it was done. I must have passed the test of a 4 year old, as I got a sticker for “doing good” when I left to go home.
I started out this post saying one fingered typers had gained my respect. My husband is one of those typers and I used to kind of laugh about it. I am not laughing anymore….typing without using all your fingers takes a great amount of skill. I could not believe how many errors I made typing that way.
I am grateful I can, once again, use all of my fingers. I am grateful for surgeons with the skill and knowledge to fix things. I am grateful for sweat pants (yes even for that!), I am so blessed with a husband who will hold the bowl and scoop out the batter when I needed the help. And I am blessed with family and friends who prayed me through the healing.
The older I get, the more I come to realize that life’s true blessings are not in things…..but in the people who are in your life and the love in those relationships.
May this week find you blessed with friends and family; and may you come to see the joy and blessing in all things.
“Happiness isn’t about getting what you want all the time.
It’s about loving what you have and being grateful for it.”
Unknown
The Chicken Grandma 