"If you focus on what you left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead." -- Gusteau (Ratatouille)

This morning I was able to get up and going at 5:50 AM.  I managed to get out the door by 6:59 AM and on my way.  As I got to the intersection of Crenshaw and Lomita I realized I didn't have my crutch with me!!!  I did grab my brace so I thought about going back home getting the crutch and coming back to the office but figured that would defeat my purpose of getting to work early without traffic and rain.  So today I walked slowly, very slowly with my brace on and no crutch.  It was a long 9+ hour day.  

I left work early enough to get to the 7-11 that has had a couple of winners.  Three tickets purchased.  I have to admit as I passed a hole in the wall liquor store in Long Beach on Willow I thought that's where you need to buy your tickets.  I almost made a U turn a couple of times but then thought no go the 7-11.  So much for my previous post of listening to your promptings.  I am too tired to check if I won.

"Inch by inch, row by row, I'm gonna make my garden grow." Micah's mission president

I like the quote my friend shared from her husbands mission president.  We need to remember that things grow or change an inch at a time a level or row at a time.  We just need to water (do hard work) and be patient as our gardens grow.  Thank you Heather for sharing this with me - I love it! 

So as you may or may not know FB has a memory flashback and it shows you posts you wrote in previous years.  A year ago  today, I posted:  I was able to ride 9.91 miles at level 5 in 30 minutes and I felt that showed I had to be at the gym more often.  When I shared it today I noted the outcome at PT today:  Today at PT 0.83 level 1 in 10 minutes. Guess I have a ways to go. Oh and still doing 3/4 circles. 121° bend.  I promise in a year I will post that I rode 10 miles in 30 minutes at level 7, if not more.  (yikes its out here in blogger world).  Oh, and now you see how why her response fit so perfectly to remind me to keep things in perspective.

As part of being better at scripture studying and prayers, I made a note to keep in my prayers this week a friend and at least send her a text to let her know I was thinking of her.  However, after PT I felt prompted to go to Trader Joe's buy some flowers and pick up a card and drop them off at her house.  I was looking at cards and I saw one and I thought perfect!  Then my human mind said:  No, it is too loud and bright not what you want to give her for today.".  Fortunately, my spiritual mind spoke quickly and loudly and replaced the previous thought with the following:  "No, today she needs to get this card."  

I have to admit I thought she is going to think this is a goofy card but I like it so she'll just know I am a goof ball.  Turns out, that it was the perfect card.  

Now my purpose for sharing the above is not to boast but rather to remind you - when you feel a prompting to do something DO IT!  

"The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right. Which one are you?" Henry Ford

I am trying to be the woman that thinks she can!  The picture to the left is from two years ago.

Today I was scheduled to return to work and while I have been driving myself to PT last week which was a total of one mile two times a day I would have a 27 mile each way journey I was excited and nervous.  I was excited because it would mean I was really moving forward but it also meant I would be stuck in traffic.  Then I learned on Sunday that all this week it is supposed to rain which makes the commute a tad bit longer!!!

This morning I woke up at 6:30 am and just got ready to go.  I left at 7:05, there was no rain or traffic so I arrived at the office at 7:40 am.  A miracle in my mind and I felt confident driving.

The day was busy and lots of people welcoming back and some surprised that I was using a crutch.  While I can walk without a crutch very slowly I opted to use a crutch and forego my brace.  I do not use the brace at home so I just knew I had to be careful.

Glad to say I left work at 4:50 pm and felt tired.  Stopped on my way home from work to get some soup as I am getting over my cold and want to take some with me tomorrow.  

My knee was sore so I took a couple of Tylenol's and iced it for about half an hour so it feels a bit better.  

Now resting and wondering how early I will be able to get up...if it is raining too much and too hard I will be able to work from home as I have PT at 2 tomorrow.

Happy New Year - Welcome 2016!!

I know, I am a few days late and I never finished December.  Ah well, such is life. 

December ended with me continuing with PT and just trying to get my leg going.  I thought about heading to the NYE party in Costa Mesa but I got a sore throat the day before and felt worse and worse as the hours went by.  

Upside of NYE is that my PT therapist Leslie was able to bend my leg to 120,  the previous time was 105 and the week before 95 so it was huge.  I am hoping that wasn't just a freak bend.  She challenged me to do a full rotation on the bike and I tried but I screamed in pain.  I told her I would try again next week.  I also did 0.53 in seven minutes.  I know it sounds like nothing to brag about but to me that is huge.  In a couple of months I will post I did two or three miles in that time. 

One thing I now do to entertain myself is color.  I like coloring but I did buy a coloring book a couple of weeks ago to entertain me during my recovery and can say I have finished three pages so far.

I also found out that my doctors medical certificate has me returning to work tomorrow and I am expected back tomorrow.  So I have been driving short distances to and from PT, yesterday I drove 12.2 miles to the post office and today to church.  I do fine but there is no traffic.  So wish me luck as tomorrow most people will go back to work and the usual traffic will be back.  Not to mention there will be rain all week.  Yuck.

My goals for this coming year regarding blogging is to make them more consistent or at least once a week and no more initials.  I was reading an old post and I was not sure who a couple of individuals were so it makes sens for me to at least refer to individuals by their first name.  

I am also going to be better about scripture study and looking forward to studying Howard W Hunter the fourteenth Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I loved his teachings and I am excited to be studying them this year.

Just going to try to be a better kinder person in 2016.