The Power of One !!

Hi Readers,

Another gap between posts, due mainly to being back at work after our generous Christmas holiday break. It's not that I don't have time to do the posts, it's just that I now have to prioritise my time more, or perhaps make better use of my time.

A few events over the past few months have prompted the title of this post, but even more so over the past two weeks. The relevance and importance of the number one, and how it has influenced so much of what I've been doing, and what I'm hoping to do has resulted in quite a few responses and reactions from my part. Some of these have been somewhat amusing, others frustrating, some joyful and others depressing.

I'm not for a moment complaining about any of these, it's just that the significance of the number one in each of them has really got me thinking about them lately.

 

I'll start off with the most recent example, one that really P%$#@D me off at first, but now I sort of understand it, even though it still makes me mad!!

The Single Supplement.

I'm taking some leave later this year and was planning to go over to Europe and complete the part of a trip that Jen and I had planned to do, but as things have turned out, that will never be possible.

We had always wanted to do a river cruise through Europe, from Amsterdam to Budapest. Although we have already been to both of those cities, there is so much of Germany that we still wanted to explore, and this was how we wanted to do it.

Over the past few weeks I have been doing some research, and every time I see a good price I go ahead and try to book it only to find that the prices are always based on Twin-Share. When it comes to the part where I need to tick "1 Passenger", the price goes up quicker than Donald Trump's hair in the slightest of breezes !!

For example, last week I found a good trip that matched my dates and it was something like $11 000.00. Not too bad considering what it offered. However, when I checked in as a single........$19 000.00 !!!!! As I said, I get it, but just can't submit to it. I even tried checking in as a couple, but then it was still two fares, which was more than a single fare.

No matter where I looked it was a similar case with every cruise line, even the ones that were spruiking "Special Fares for Singles". Pretty soon I began to see how challenging things are for the solo traveller. The booking arrangements definitely do not favour the soloists, and I'm not complaining about it. Annoyed and frustrated, yes, but at least I'm able to understand and accept it. Well, maybe eventually !! Forking out nearly twice the fare of others does not give you any extra benefits, you're just probably paying for the spots that they were hoping would be taken by a couple, who would then hopefully spend more.

That's my new reality, but it was a bit of a shock discovering it so brutally!

I've had many people suggest that I should look around for someone else to accompany me. Not interested.

This was going to be our trip, so I just want to enjoy it by myself, just as if Jen was there with me.

Whatever I end up doing, it will still be memorable and worthwhile, I just need to tweak a few things. The Power of One person....or lack thereof !

Now that I have that off my chest, I can look at a few other things light heartedly.

Why light heartedly? Because after all of the things that have gone wrong with my body over the past 18 months, I can only laugh at myself.

The Power of One...Leg!

Around 15 months ago I had a significant operation on my right ankle. I was told the recovery would be lengthy, and boy, were they correct on that one! Since that day I have been managing as best as I can on my one good leg, hoping that the 'fixed' one would soon start pulling its weight again.

Yeah, right !

I can have days where it looks like I'm walking normally, only to sit down for a while in a meeting or something, and when it's time to get up I'm hobbling due to stiffness settling in.

People must be wondering what the hell is going on !

Thank goodness for the one 'good' leg though, it gets me out of many an embarrassing situation. Just as my good leg has the power of supporting me as much as possible, I still get amazed at the power of my bung leg in slowing me down. Things like wearing thongs are a hassle due to the lack of feeling and nerve damage in my toes. The best way to describe it is that it feels like tv static throughout my foot. Before this I never knew how much we rely on the sense of touch in our feet to successfully wear thongs !!

While I'm talking footwear, some days I feel that I need a right shoe one size bigger than the left shoe, just to ease the pressure. Imagine going into a shoe shop and ordering a size 9 shoe and a size 10 ! That one leg is sure exercising its power!!

At least I'm not having any problems with my socks. 🧦

I tend to find out what I can and can't do more by accident. One of these things is that I still can't balance on one leg. My bung leg won't let me do that yet, it's just its way of telling me that my ambition mustn't outweigh my ability. The kids in my class have had many a laugh as they watch me lose my balance trying to get up from the floor in the classroom.

They also get a laugh out of hobbling past me as if they have a bung leg too, doing great impersonations of me, knowing that I can't run them down and catch them.  😖

Luckily they know that I see the funny side of it too, and they only do it in jest. Little buggers !!

The Power of One...Leg !🦵

The Power of One... Finger.

Time to laugh at my own situation again, this time at how just ONE finger can lead to so much disruption.

My only problem here though has been that one finger played up first, then 5 others thought it would be a great idea if they did it too !

Basically, the tendon in my finger gets stuck, and an operation is needed to release it. Otherwise, my finger gets in a locked position and won't straighten unless I forcibly straighten it myself, which is usually very painful.

At first I had one finger on each hand done and for a week or two I was wandering around school looking like a T-Rex with both hands strapped and pretty useless.

Fast forward a few months and I need two more fingers done on my right hand. More T-Rexing. 🦖

Another few months and the other hand needs two fingers done, that's 6 so far. By now I'm asking my doctor when this will end and he thinks my thumbs will be okay, but my last two fingers are already showing signs of the same condition.

So what has this taught me?

You can do amazing things one handed. Or should I say, it's amazing how one can adapt to trying to do things one handed, especially when you have to use the opposite hand.

Just think of some everyday tasks that you do Readers, then try and do it with the opposite hand.

Cleaning your teeth.

Shaving.

Changing the gears in your car (luckily my new car has push button gears)

Cutting up your dinner

Pouring a kettle

General cooking.

Drying oneself after a shower.

Doing up your shoelaces, or buttons on a shirt

Typing

Pulling the cord to start the mower (Now that must have looked funny to my neighbours!!)

I never knew how much I took for granted, and once again all I could do was laugh, as bitching about them wouldn't change a thing.

Then I had the hassle of a shoulder needing some work done. Here I now am having hassles walking, using my hands and now using one arm for most things.

The past few weeks at school I've been caught a few times trying to scratch an itchy bit on my back that I can't reach with my good arm. Rather than trying to turn myself inside out I just go up to a doorway, lean back and have a good old rub up and down or sideways, just like we often see bears doing against trees in the forest. Even I have to laugh at what this must look like !!

Looks odd, but feels sooooo good!!

It has been a new world Readers of discovering new ways of doing the most basic things, some successfully, but most done in what must look like the most hilarious methods if you were a spectator watching.

I did mention last year how hard it was making the bed with one leg and both hands out of action, and how I'd do commando rolls over the bed to spread the sheet out. I'm back to doing that now as I can't flip the sheet out with both arms as one just won't participate, no matter what expletives I use !! Hanging out the washing. Try doing that one handed!

So the events of the past year with my body have really showed me how important each limb and digit really is, and how losing the use of one can have such an impact on what you do.

But the most important lesson I've learned is that my hassles are only temporary ( a long temporary so far) and that I'm still incredibly lucky that I've been able to sort of get fixed. So many others don't get his opportunity and live without total use of limbs and digits for long periods of their lives, or permanently. 

Certainly another example of taking my favourite pill.

So, in saying this, I'm just pointing out that we often take just so much for granted.

Wasn't it Phil Collins who has a line in a song that says  "We had a life, We had a love. But you don't know what you've got 'till you lose it"

I just used to love running, to the point of obsession. Now being able to only walk sort of properly, I really know what I'm missing, but I can't dwell on that. Rather than focus on what I can't do, the focus needs to be on what I can do.

I'm currently reading the most fantastic book that a great colleague at work gave to me to read.

 

This book has resonated with me just as much as another book that I've banged on about in quite a few posts, "Zero Negativity" by Ant Middleton.

Nedd ran across Australia, as one would do.

But what really stood out is that he too had setbacks when one part of his body would check out for a period of time. But rather than wallow in self pity, his attitude was often "What else can I do still?" Not letting the power of one setback skittle him completely.

Think of the little "Powers of One" that we endure that at the time are the most life threatening, tragic and catastrophic, but in reality........

- The pimple that appears in the middle of your forehead just as you are trying to impress your new crush. 

- The paper cut on your finger that makes you think that an amputation is imminent.

- The ice cream headache, that has us nearly calling for the ambulance.

Jen always maintained that these never existed, as she never had them. Tell that to someone who gets them!!

I know I joke about these trivial things, but it's amazing how one little thing can seemingly have so much power, to the point that they become so much bigger than what they really are.

In Nedd's book he talks about 'looking for the blue sky days' when things are troubling us. Not these futile things that I'm light heartedly making fun of, but some of the things that are more serious for us. Only you know which ones to consider here. 

He mentions that sometimes there are just no words to explain how hard they are at times, but that we must just try and envisage 'a blue sky day' in the future when hopefully we may be able to get on top of them.

This part of his book slapped me in the face like a wet fish, as I just have no words that can explain how much I miss Jen, but in order to try and dig myself out of this hole I need to look for my own blue sky days. This is a "Power of One" on a much higher level, as it is all about one person in my life, and we all have them in some shape or form. In one way I'm lucky that I can laugh at most of mine as they are pretty pathetic in the bigger scheme of things. And others helping me to see the lighter side of them also helps.

Perhaps that's where we can help others in similar predicaments?

So Readers, if your mower won't start, you run out of milk for your coffee, the internet drops out for a short time or you get a hole in your favourite pair of undies, see it for what it is. It's just one little thing that is making us think it is the most powerful thing.

And it stresses us out needlessly.

I was worried this morning making a barrel of beer, and the biggest problem in the entire world for about 2 minutes was how on earth I was going to lift the barrel onto the shelf in the shed !! The power of one barrel of home brew beer !! 

(Relax, even with one arm I managed to come up with a plan that meant I didn't have to lift it - I'm not going to destroy the work the surgeon did on my shoulder !! )

I created a 'blue sky' moment.

I hope that you all have blue skies heading your way and that you are continually optimistic about them, despite your paper cuts !!!

Until my next post Readers,

Cheers 😁🥂