Thank Goodness

‘Tis indeed the winter of our discontent. It’s freezing cold. The days still seem too short. Bills are due.  Quarterly taxes and property taxes are due (at least mine are). Income is stagnant or going south. You aren’t headed south, however, especially if you happen to slip on the damned ice and break your wrist, which I did.

So now I’ve got six weeks in a cast, trying to eke out assignments one-handed and cursing the Fates for my latest bout with bad luck. Except I’m not going to do that.  Yes, my wrist hurts – actually, all of me hurts. No, I can’t drive or do most of the things I’d planned. But I am resolved not to drive myself or my sainted sister who is helping me while she’s attending graduate school full time crazy. Instead, I’m going to play a little game I made up called “thank goodness” (or “thank god” for those less easily offended).  It involves coming up with a list of things that could be worse  before which you can say “thank goodness”.  I know, but give me a break; I’m supporting a sling and a cast around a neck with two herniated disks. Whoops, I’d better start playing!

Thank goodness:

• I broke my left wrist, since I’m right-handed
• I live in a place where neighbors rushed out to help when I yelled and even walked my dog
• I had a cell phone and could call my sister, who lives nearby
• I have health insurance

See how it works? It’s tricky for someone in my position who might prefer throwing herself a pity party, but it’s definitely worth the effort in terms of overall mental and physical health. Best of all, it can be applied to any situation. For example, thank goodness:

• I didn’t end up scoring any Inaugural invitations, since I wouldn’t have been able to go
• The Inauguration is actually, finally going to take place and last November wasn’t a dream
• The pilot of US Airways Flight 1549 knew how to land on water
• There may– may — be a cease-fire in Gaza
• Patrick Swayze appears to have beaten back his pneumonia attack

 Of course, somewhere in the bowels of February, when it seems spring will never come, President Obama will never get a handle on our domestic and foreign policy messes and my cast will never come off, I may have trouble playing my little game. I only hope I can come up with something like “thank goodness I’ve learned to type with one hand.”

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