Getting Up From the Floor

If anyone with spastic paraplegia, or another leg difficulty happens upon this, they'll understand completely what I'm referring to. I'm 5'10 so I have no problem reaching items that are stored up in the cupboards. Actually I'm unable to hide items from myself, like chocolate. I know it's there and I can reach it. However, there are several items I use frequently and are down near the floor. All the way down past my knees, past the point of unaided return. It depends on the day, some days I'm able to retain good positioning and just push up. Thank goodness I'm flexible, my hands stay on the floor to help. However, there are those other days. Perhaps I had done too much on the treadmill or a great deal of walking else were. In any case I become stuck. I find myself down on my butt working to get my legs under me while reaching for the counter or perhaps working my way over to the walker for assistance. (I love M.P. and liked that they were down on their fanies.)

Is exercise causing the weakness or progression? Most likely it's a combination of the two. At the gym, when I have to come up from the floor, my trainer will offer her arm. I seldom take it, explaining that I can do it, she high fives me once I'm up and steady.

Sometimes being down on the floor isn't only physical but mental. Some days the shuffling and stumble will send me down. That's when I have to figure out how to handle it. It often occurs as dinner time approaches and I haven't many choice but to 'soldier on'. That's when I often put in a favorite DVD to help me escape while preparing supper.

One time, recently, I called my closest friend who lives six hours away. I was on the verge of tears and she listened. As I talked I started joking. Her laughter was lovely. Her friendship is precious. She's great medicine. I'll be calling again.






Actually I'm planning a trip to Scotland and England with my friend next summer. We're looking to visit Edinburgh, York, and then London! I'm excited and intimidated at the same time. Yes, it's all about the legs. I plan to call her in hopes to arrange a visit this spring. That way we can have a good talk. She wants to go. I just want to make sure she's cool with everything.

As I wrote that last sentence it sounded silly. Yet it's easier to be on the 'helping and working with' side of a situation than the 'needing and hoping everyone's happy' side. I'm sure someone out there understands.



6:00 p.m.

I'm Back, from now where.

Well, I'm not sure who looks at these, besides some family, and by now they may have given up. It's just been hard to write during the holidays. I usually find myself distracted by all that I choose to do. I wrote an essay for the writing group last week for the first time since Halloween. It was great fun using the thesaurus and dictionary.


I made a new purchase just the other week. I had been looking at this book for sometime at Borders but at $45.00 I wasn't picking it up in a hurry, until one day I received a 33% off coupon from Borders on line. Now its mine! Yes, the Chambers Dictionary of Etymology is all mine. Pardon? What is Etymology? Well, to word geeks like me it's one of the most fun books around. Etymology is the study of the origin and development of words. This book contains over 30,000 words. For example, the other night I just flipped to a page to learn about a word.





"aback adv. Probably before 1200, developed from old English (11th century) toward the back.
The idiom taken aback was originally a nautical term meaning caught by a bead wind that presses the sails back against the mast. The figurative sense "caught suddenly by surprise" appeared in 1840 in Hood's Up the Rhine."

Now this is probably dull and boring to many but..........I love it. I'm also looking into the black plague and the Great fire of London while finishing up The Blind Side.


The Blind Side was a great feel good movie, true story and all, but the book isn't a story as the movie is. It's more of a lesson on football and the evolution of the game and the positions played and the how the game changed in the '80s from a lot of running to more passing. I'm hoping to go into the '10 season with some knowledge under my belt.


Well, that was eclectic. (I like eclectic)

7:30 p.m.