I Guess I'm Not Dedicated

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, my boss has been off for four weeks after shattering her ankle and breaking a bone in her leg.  The doctor originally said she couldn't come back to work until January, but being the trooper that she is, she came back to work yesterday with doctor's orders to stay in her souped up wheelchair.  We traded foot surgery war stories, and compared notes about what we did during our time off.  In case you didn't know, back in July of 1992 I was in a big car wreck and had to have my right foot rebuilt.  I was off from work until the middle of December.  In talking with my boss about her foot surgery and recovery, I started reminiscing about my time off from work.  I guess I wasn't all that dedicated because I didn't want to come back to work.

It was frustrating having to walk with crutches the entire time I was off, but honestly I can't say that I was bored.  And getting a fraction of a paycheck for my last month of my time off sucked, but I made the most of it. I had my routine down.  On mornings when Mom had to work, I would sleep in and when I got up I'd hop on over to my recliner where I would have brunch and hold court the rest of the day.  There by the recliner would be a thermos of coffee and a cooler with a sandwich, snacks and some water or tea to get me through the day.  But I would never drink too much; believe me when I tell you that you don't want to drink too much of anything when you're on crutches or in a wheelchair.  After brunch, I'd read the newspaper and then watch TV most of the day. My aunt and uncle or friends would stop by every day to check on me, and while they were there I would have them go with me outside where I'd hop up and down the driveway on the crutches so I could keep my strength up.   That way if I fell, I wouldn't have to lay in the driveway until later in the day when Mom or Dad got home. 

It was during this time off that I started writing my novel.  Unfortunately, I never finished it. But while I was off those months, I wrote every day.  I also took this time to play the guitar more.  In fact, I even bought a new guitar during my time off with one of my insurance disability checks.