Cast Away...

One of the movies that I like to watch is "Cast Away." It's one of those that if it's on and nothing else is of interest to me, then I tune in.

What has always been intriguing to me is the power of the human spirit, and the ability to adapt to your environment/experience! Tom Hanks plays a character, Chuck Noland, that is living on an island devoid of everything we take for granted... and must make the best of it.

Sound familiar?

I gotta be honest... there have been times I've watched that movie wondering "what if" - as in, "What if that was me?" in an excited tone! Given my ability to "hermit away" from the world at times, I have sometimes taken the position of, "Wow... that might be pretty cool."

Hmm... my how times have changed...

Last Saturday, my parents dropped me off at my house. As you probably gathered, I was excited beyond belief! I wanted to move home and get my life going again - to me, it's just another step in the healing process.

However, one thing I didn't imagine is the lack of human contact... and how that would impact me. From Saturday until Wednesday, I never left this house. In fact, I never saw anyone until my Mom walked in the door around 2:00 PM on Wednesday.

I was going stir crazy! Seriously... have you ever been by yourself for that amount of time? I've gone a day or 2 by myself... but never 4 days!

Remember... I can't drive, so I'm pretty much stuck here until someone comes and gets me. I spent my time laying on the couch watching TV/DVDs/recorded shows, reading, finding something to do in the back yard, or sleeping.

I was VERY bored.

By Wednesday I had decided that I had had enough... I would return to the office on Friday, leg and all. Even though the brace is still straight, I figured I'd better make a go of it - especially given that I wouldn't be able to go back until Wednesday if I didn't go on Friday.

What an experience...

First of all, I became immediately aware and very focused on all of the handicap assistant aids located around the building when Joel dropped me off. You have no idea how beneficial a ramp or an automatic door is for someone on crutches.

Secondly, I'm very appreciative of those in my building - I had several people hold elevator and hallway doors for me as I hobbled along. When your hands and armpits are trying to support you, a helpful person around is nice to have.

Speaking of hobbling, my gosh am I slow! When you're moving on crutches, there's a lot of "jolting" going on and you get the sense that you're actually moving fairly quickly. But once I caught my image in a reflective window, I knew right then that I was not the rabbit I thought I was... I may not even measure up to Mr. Turtle!

I told only 2 people that I was going in yesterday, so imagine the surprise on everyone's face when they saw me (and heard me "crutcheting" along). I think there were 2 distinct questions/responses that I heard throughout the day:

"Oh my gosh! You're back! How are you feeling? Does it hurt right now?"
"You cut your hair! It makes you look SO much younger!"

And sometimes, the "hair" was the first reaction... believe it or not!

It was tough to get work done - I had a lot of people stopping by and talking with me, which was fine by me (see above!). I told the story several times, relayed how I'm getting along, and answered several random questions... basically it was one talkative day!

By the end of the day, I was wiped out. Kevin and Becky took me to eat sushi last night, but by the time we got back to my house (8:00 PM) I was a "rolling" zombie (back on the walker). I didn't make it to watch Leno's last show (recorded it), and I slept like a baby all night.

Today I'm back alone again, which is fine. It won't be forever as my Mom is coming by tomorrow to take me on a few errands.

I doubt I'll let myself get into a "Cast Away" situation again... that's just too long to go without seeing anyone.

Oh, and if you're one of my local friends reading this, you're more than welcome to come "rescue me" anytime...