I started back to the office on Wednesday, after a couple of days this week calling into meetings. Even though I was still feeling sore and tired, I have learned that the way to regain my strength and stamina is to return to normal activities - at least for short stints. So Wednesday I went in for about 5 hours. I was especially careful not to lift or carry anything, but the foundation has large and heavy doors that I should not be pulling open. I had to ask for help and did my best to let others do the lifting and pulling for me.
By early afternoon, I was feeling pretty tired and losing focus. About 2 pm I decided it was time to head home. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I walk about 2 miles each way to commute on the ferry. I've continued this through my whole cancer treatment and recovery. So I headed out Wednesday afternoon, in a slight drizzle, to walk my way to the ferry.
What has changed recently, is the trip hazards on this 2 mile journey. Between construction around the Seattle Center, construction on the waterfront, wet fall leaves, rain and darker afternoons, it's become a pretty dangerous adventure to get to and from the ferry each day. Being extra tired, that first day back at work, I managed to catch the edge of a construction barricade and fell into the street right under the monorail.
Since it was a construction zone, there wasn't any traffic coming at me, so I laid there for a moment to assess whether I had hurt anything seriously (other the my pride). My knee was skinned and I tore through my pants where I hit. My hands hurt but I had tried not to catch myself with them in fear of ruining my reconstructed breast. A man walking nearby stopped and asked me if I was ok, and I decided I was.
Much like this cancer process, I was a little beat up, shed a few tears, but picked myself up and brushed off the dirt. Then I held up my head and headed on my way, undeterred and feeling sure that I can handle the trip hazards in front of me - whatever journey I face each day.
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