The infection has knocked me back a good few steps. This morning it took me about three hours to actually get out of bed. Me—three hours. I don’t do “staying in bed.” Normally I’m up and out, but today I lay there, playing theme songs just to coax myself into action. Physio followed, and yes, I cried through part of it. Some days it just feels like the physio is my boss and I’m the very underpaid employee.
Food hasn’t been much better. I didn’t eat until nearly 12 o’clock. I feel like I’m in a standoff with protein: me glaring at it, it glaring back, and neither of us wanting to back down. It’s like eating it means I’m saying, “Sure, no problem accident, thanks for happening, I’ll just go build muscles now.” And that thought annoys me. But I know I need it.
The turning point? My daughter. Her wish list for this fortnight was simple—she wanted me to go to the Blitz in Passage West. And I did. I nearly slipped (heart in mouth moment), but I didn’t. And you know what? I had the best time. I chatted, I laughed, I felt social again. It was exactly what I needed, even if I was terrified beforehand.
On top of that, I managed my first trip to the supermarket. Two lovely people came up to me asking, ”can I help you out in any way? So kind. And then this little boy, maybe eight or nine, walked past and gave me the biggest smile. Honestly, that grin lit up my whole day.
And to top it all off, I even made it to one of my favourite shops Zara. Did I buy anything? No. But I walked in there—after a very long and cautious shuffle. That in itself was a win.
So yes, today started with tears and grumbling at protein, but it ended with smiles, conversations, a near-slip story for the archives, and a reminder that there’s always something. Always something to laugh about, something to notice, something to keep you moving.
Takeaway for the reader: Sometimes the thing you’re dreading most—the scary outing, the awkward conversation, the tiny step forward—is actually the very thing that brings the most joy. Even when it feels impossible, give yourself the chance to discover the “always something.”
