giving thanks

November has rolled around and, as usual, everyone is beginning to talk about what they’re thankful for. I know we should be thinking about this stuff all year long but I’ve been kind of bummed out about my situation this weekend so it seems like a good time to reflect on a few of the positive things I have going on in my life.

I’ll start with this one in respect to timeliness: I got my brace on by myself for the first time yesterday morning! It wasn’t even as hard as I thought it would be and I did it again with no problem this morning. I am getting pretty sick of having to let people do the simplest stuff for me, like carry my heavier bags or picking stuff up that I drop, so this is definitely exciting for me.

Norman and football season. I don’t think I ever fully realized just how much not having student season tickets is going to suck until missing these last two home games. 

Trying and failing to wake up in time to watch Gameday, deciding what to wear, tailgating, drinking, getting ID'd by cops (Bethany and Natalie), screaming your head off, cheering for the Circle K race (Bethany and Natalie again. And I'm gonna need a report on who won the last two games!) I honestly have no idea how or why anyone decides not to like Oklahoma football. I actually miss Boomer and Sooner despite the fact that all mascots freak me out. So even though I’m not going to finish school on time, at least I’ll have one more student season!

My mom and I after the Race for the Cure on October 15 (a week before the accident).

Running and the ability to exercise. Throughout my whole life I have been pretty damn uncoordinated. I run into things like doors, walls, and dressers that have been in the exact same place for over a year. I have to focus in order to catch anything thrown at me and I sure can’t throw it back. It’s pretty sad and it’s kept me from participating in sports because I hate doing anything that I’m bad at. Luckily, I have come to find out that you don’t have to do any of that stuff while you’re running. It's definitely not easy and there have been times when I thought I'd pass out before I ever got back home but I really love it. I've never had the ability to push myself to succeed in something like I can with running.
After the initial shock of slamming into the wall, my my mind immediately went to my mobility. I could move my arms and legs so I knew I wasn't in awful shape but I was beyond scared of how everything was going to turn out. I am so thankful to have only shattered the one vertebra and beyond lucky that things did not end up worse. When the time comes around, I'll be more than ready to get back in shape and get to running again.

Last, and definitely the most important: my family and friends. I honestly don't know how to sum this one up in just a paragraph. There are tons of people I could mention and if I did, I'd probably start crying because I'm a total wuss like that. I just want you all to know that you are appreciated and I don't know where I'd be without your support!

I'm off to get ready for my post-op appointment (which the 15 questions I wrote down might prove that I'm also thankful for). I'll give an update on that tomorrow. Have a great Monday!