Last weekend saw little horse activity, as Mother Nature made a somewhat feeble attempt to break our years-old drought. But, I did
manage a little in-hand work with everyone on Saturday. I wore my running shoes, and I have no memory of taking a bad step (although I was focused on the horses enough that who could tell) – but something must have happened, because I woke up Sunday with pain in my right foot. Okay, took a bad step, no problem. The rain on Sunday gave me a reason to take it easy, and I iced it as a precaution. Should have been the end of it …
Monday, back to work, I thought I was being careful with shoes and minimal walking. But, the pain was still there. Okay, so take it
easy Monday night with a little more ice. I’ve been here before – how can you help it when you spend your life around horses? Usually a day or two and it’s back to normal. But Tuesday morning threw me a bit of a curve – right foot no longer painful, but now rather swollen! Now, I am not one to run to the doctor. It’s been a rare malady that self-care has not proven to be sufficient – a viewpoint that friends and family like to give me a hard time about. But this time I will admit that a swollen foot, with no pain, and no known cause was a little disconcerting. So, off to the doctor!
What ensued was two days of appointments and x-rays – all inconclusive. So, here I sit with a swollen foot that feels more numb than painful … and a continuing mystery. I love reading and watching mysteries, but I’m not a fan of living them!
What makes this even “better” is that I’m starting a four-day weekend, with beautiful weather expected. I had every reason to believe that I would get some riding time in … foiled again! Well, maybe. In my much younger days, I would have said “Heck with it!” and would have plowed forward with my plans. But, as you get older, injuries get more complicated and healing time slows down. So, do I throw caution to the wind? Or do I play it safe? Is a weekend of fun worth a possibly extended healing period? Or is that just wimp talk? What to do?
Wait, though, thinking it through,
Things don’t have to collide,
I know what my decision is,
Which is not to decide.“On the steps of the palace”, Stephen Sondheim
I guess that we shall see what the weekend brings. I am frustrated enough with all the recurring set backs that the “Heck with it!” teenager just might rise again. Or maybe tomorrow will bring another change that decides for me. Such is the adventure of life …
Be good to your horses!
Lia
Horse Crazy Once Again 