I cut my left thumb last week.
It turns out that chopping kale stems can be dangerous.
I was instantly transformed from chef-y mode to nurse mode, grateful for the paper towels hanging just above the chopping block and the fact that Bill was actually home, slaving away in the basement.
Good news… a sharp chef’s knife and organic, washed kale stems.
Other news… lots of blood. About half an hour of pressure and elevation before I could even find out what, exactly, was cut.
Then some more good news… it was a good, clean, straight cut which would be easy to hold in place with some tension.
And the really good news… I could fix this, even one-handed. I wasn’t going to the ER anyway.
After a whole house search for bandage options, I washed it well, dried it all over again, and went to taping. (Bill peeled the Band-aids, which is hard with one hand.)
I won’t lie. It hurt.
The bigger issue was the need to keep it taped and dry for at least 48 hours.
Bill was despatched to the local purveyor of just about everything for more Band-aids and a box of disposable gloves.
The biggest challenge has been dog food of the raw meat variety.
Did I mention that it hurt?
Somewhere along the line I realized I might, just maybe, be over-protecting it a wee bit.
Rather like the time I was in fifth grade and tore all the ligaments and tendons in my ankle during gym class.
Back in those days, the casts were big and plaster and heavy. I learned to walk by swinging my foot out and around in a half circle to take a step.
It took about a month after the cast came off for me to find my regular gait again.
This time, it’s typing. Fortunately, my left thumb is one I can kind of do without but my whole rhythm is off-balance.
My hair is clean, though! In this moment, I’m choosing to celebrate that.
My thumb is clean and dry again.
I’m still not ready for chopping onions, but I am healing.
And reminded of a quote from The West Wing.
After Leo had his first heart attack, and was on the road to better, his nurse told him one day that, “Part of healing is going on.”
Wow, does that feel true!
Going on takes courage and some hope that what was once true will not always be so.
Sometimes it just takes Band-aids. Sometimes it takes some more help. Sometimes it takes a lot of help.
Clean and dry is generally good.
So is the (metaphorical?) wonder of clean hair!
For now, I’m going to be looking more closely at places where I might be being called to go on.
You could join me…