One hand on deck.

Or what can be done with one hand and a broken wrist.

Since the last post, I've spent many hours in 'recovery'. Icing my hand. Heating my shoulder. Excercising my fingers. Staying ahead of the pain with pills, movies and more movies. I'm just now able to comfortably, although inconviently, hold a magazine and turn the pages. Read a book without it closing on me. And with the many finger excercises, I'm able to type at a reasonable pace, at last. Which means, I'm able to post on my blog without it taking me several hours to type.

Yes, with only one hand on deck, so to speak, for the last few weeks I've learned that doing simple things can become very complicated and difficult.

Try to tie shoes one handed. Pull up your jeans, zip and button them. Zip your sweater or coat. Pull on gloves. Get into your purse and wallet. Put on earrings with posts or a necklace. Hold a newspaper or magazine open so you can read it. Open bottles, jars or cans. Blowdry your hair. Floss your teeth. Sweep the floor. Pick up your cat. File your nails. Open a teabag in a foil wrapper. Cut a steak or sandwich. Just getting dressed takes full-time concentration. Make that almost anything that was mind-wanderingly simple now requires total and complete attention.

Frustrating, yes. And surprisingly...free-ing.

Weird, I know. But because I have to pay complete attention to the task at hand(sorry about the pun), step by step, my mind can't wander. I can't multi-task. That I've discovered can be a good thing. No more negative self-talk while I dry my hair, because I'm concentrating too hard on just getting my hair dry. No more talking on the phone while doing my dust mopping. No more answering email while I eat, watch TV and talk to my husband. No more watching a movie while I crochet.

When I read, I read. When I type, I type. When I walk in the park, talk on the phone, or take a shower, I do it with total concentration.

I am where I am. And maybe, that's right where I should be? Where are you?