Learning how to walk again Open Thread

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I’m off crutches — hurrah! — for the first time in a month and a half. It’s wonderful to be free of them. I used them as awkwardly and inelegantly on the last day as I did on the first, something that was both frustrating and painful.

Today I’m learning how to walk again. It turns out that a mere six weeks is more than long enough for muscles to atrophy and muscle memory to die. The atrophy brings a lot of pain with it and that, combined with the muscle memory loss, means that I’ve lost the knack of walking. I can do it only if I constantly repeat to myself “heel, toe, heel, toe.” Without that mantra, I lapse into a bizarre flat-footed, stiff-kneed gait that throws my whole body off-balance.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that I’m getting better really quickly. The atrophied muscle is already making a come-back, the memory is returning, and I’m feeling more natural with every step I take. I’m confident that, by next week, when the dog walking service ends, I’ll be able to drive to the nearby flat-lands and take my dogs for a good, long walk — good for them and good for me.

More movement also means that my brain feels less stultified. When I was on the crutches, my thoughts were feeling as immobile as my body. Now, everything seems to be ticking along better. So, I’ll have stuff to write later today.

In the meantime, please enjoy this Open Thread.