Helping Hand

There are numerous witty hand related titles I could have used for this entry. Hand Me Down. Handfull. Second Hand Story. Hard to choose.
To fix my broken metacarpal an overpriced surgeon cut my hand open, scraped some bone from a healthy meta carpal then grafted it onto the broken bone. To enhance the graft he added a plate which attached to the bone using 7 screws.

Yes that is rather a lot of screws.
Yes it was and often still is quite painful.

Here is a list of things I'm not to do :

Drive a Car
Use my hand
Get the plaster wet

Although a short list, it's quite restrictive.

A visit to the doctor yesterday resulted in a fairly stern warning/reminder to Not Use My Hand. To Keep It In A Sling. To Try And Rest.

I'm finding these instructions slightly difficult to adhere to.
Have you ever been to the toilet using only one hand?
Have you ever tried to cut a cucumber using only one hand?
Have you ever eaten a steak with one hand?

I'm getting accustomed to asking for help. A man in the supermarket pulled a bunch of bananas apart for me. I've stopped using the self serve registers. I'm allowing friends and family to cut my dinner up.

I've always thought one of my better qualities was my independence. Was quite proud of it.
Now I feel vulnerable, a little out of control and somewhat powerless. It's challenging.

THAT'S A GOOD THING - RIGHT?!?

Here are some other good things.
In the space of 3 weeks my handwriting has improved from a 4 year olds to a 9 year olds. That is progress.
My Mum is here and she is cleaning! The kitchen! The kids rooms! Real cleaning! I love her. Not only for the cleaning but it really is the cherry on top of amazing.
I've watched Seasons 1-4 of Parks and Recreation and Lesley Knope makes me happy.
By using my left hand for everything, I'm changing my brain. Right hand has been the boss for so long, Leftie just did whatever it was told. It didn't have to think.
Now, we are thinking. A lot. Arduously. Every action requires thinking about because Leftie is still learning. Ergo, I'm being mindful.
I'VE BEEN MEANING TO BE MORE MINDFUL FOR AGES!
So there we go. Turning negatives into positives. Always changing. Developing new skills.
I think I'm finally an adult.