Not Quite the Adventure I had Planned…My Surprise Detour Before Going Down Under
Hi! Long time no blog! I hope everyone has had a wonderful start to the fall season! My fall has definitely looked different than I expected, but I am trying very hard to embrace the unknown with gratitude and peace, instead of stressing and rushing the process. I am trusting that all things happen for a reason.
Just days before I was set to depart for Warrawong, Australia to work at the Green Connect Farm, I injured my knee in the gym. For a couple of days, I tried to ignore it and attribute it to the constant mild knee pain associated with being tall and having spent many years running and playing sports. But, about 2-3 days before I was set to depart, my knee locked up and I could not walk! This unfortunately made the problem impossible to ignore, because once I arrive in Australia, my primary mode of transportation will be walking…and I will be spending my days laboring on a farm…which I do need functional knees for!
In the last month, I have been lucky to receive excellent medical care, and have gotten an x-ray, MRI, and lots of physical therapy! Just a few days ago, I recieved news that I will likely not need surgery, and I should heal fine with just a few more months of rest and physical therapy. My specialist is also having my knee scanned for a custom brace tomorrow, which sounds futuristic and exciting! I am very grateful to not need surgery, and I am grateful that I feel better with every week that passes!
It has been hard to be so stagnant, especially because my car, most of my belongings, and most of my friends are all in Tennessee while I am in a rural area of California. Most weeks, I only leave the house to go to physical therapy and the grocery store, which is a stark contrast to how I have spent the last four years! I am used to having my days planned hour by hour to make sure I can balance full time classes with two part time jobs, clubs, volunteering, spending time with friends, and being outside or in the gym for at least an hour a day. In a way, I sort of feel like this hurdle has been teaching me that my worth is not just a sum of my productivity, which feels like an important thing to learn. It is also giving me a lot of time to think about my project, and why it is so meaningful to me. I have had a lot of time to read books and watch documentaries about Australia, which has been a fun way to indirectly engage, learn, and remain prepared!
I am grateful to be back home and have the ability to devote time to my family, especially as they age and endure health issues of their own. While this extra time at home was unexpected and far from ideal, I think in the future I will reflect on it fondly.
Since being home, I have been able to: celebrate my dog’s tenth birthday, spot a beautiful Rosy Boa just outside of my yard, crochet a fun new beanie, learn how to make bagels, read eight books, watch a lot of travel YouTube videos (to fill the void, haha!), and join my neighborhood’s Golden Girl Rummy Cube Club (which I can confirm is as awesome as it sounds). My next step now is to see my doctor again to hopefully get a more precise healing timeline so I can plan my actual departure! I can’t wait (but I have to wait)!
I’ve had a lot of time to crochet and work on other art projects during this season! Here is a fun beanie I just finished, inspired by the sun and fall colors!
I am super blessed to have a lot of undeveloped land near my neighborhood because we get to see so much wildlife! Rosy Boas are my favorite snake, so it was awesome to see such a big and healthy one near my house!
In late September, my dog turned (approximately) 10 years old! I crocheted her this birthday hat, and made her a cake out of oats, kibble, carrots, and potatoes! It was so fun to be home to celebrate her!
Although I am not really able to move well enough to hike right now, sometimes I am able to take short walks. I live just outside of northwestern Joshua Tree National Park, so my walks look like this!
