At times life begs a slowdown

Rest is a challenge

Three weeks ago today, I was moving quickly. I was getting things done left and right for work, then I bounded out the door intent on getting a mile of cardio in before picking my kids up from school. While leaving my house, I saw the delivery man crossing the street and distractedly missed a step.

I hit the ground so hard that my Apple watch asked me if it should call emergency services. Not unless they could help with a sudden loss of pride, I told it as the delivery guy gingerly picked up my keys, handed them back to me, set the package by the door and tiptoed away.

I sat there, reeling, on the steps of my house and admonishing myself for not being more careful. I knew from my husband’s experience a couple of years ago that a sprained ankle meant weeks of purposeful slowing down to make room for the necessary healing.

As a mom and reporter, I don’t have much room in my life for slowing down, so this has been quite the exercise — so to speak. That’s how I’ve gotten so hung up on a countdown. One week from now I should be clear to start easing back into my normal physical activities, and I could not be more ready.

As a runner and someone who likes to work out, moving my body is a way to keep me feeling like a whole person and not just a provider of snacks, a transportation service for my children, an enforcer of rules and ensurer of completed homework.

But now I’m getting a taste of my boys’ lives. Countdowns are very important to them, you see. They’re always, always looking forward to their next birthdays. My just-turned-5-year-old recently planned out the themes, party activities and birthday cake flavors for his 6th, 7th and 8th birthdays. And my 6-year-old has been planning his 7th birthday since shortly before his 6th. We have 109 days to go, just in case you wondered.

This line of thinking is what always caused my own dad to warn me against “wishing my life away,” but I’ve come to disagree with that admonishment. Having things to look forward to can be a good and healthy practice.

When I look to the future with my boys, I learn more about them and the ways that their minds work. Planning for a long-awaited event activates their thinking skills as they begin to mentally craft their next Halloween costumes, sort out their Valentine’s box designs, piece together present wish lists.

Waiting so long inspires them. They often wind up creating a makeshift version of the toys they seek, out of LEGOs or parts of old toys, and frankly, I enjoy that creativity. My own predicament and countdown has inspired similar creativity too.

Week one of “rest” was a game of “How much can I accomplish from a lying position?” I played this at the couch and the dining room table, where I could prop the offending foot up on another chair.

The next week it was “What kinds of exercises can I do without putting weight on my left foot?” After that it was “Where can I hobble with it wrapped?” and “What can I wear that doesn’t call attention to it?”

Now that I’ve got only a few days left, I’m using it as an excuse to get a quiet bath here and there. Maybe forcibly slowing down isn’t such a bad thing after all.