Pain, Rain & Resolve

Don't really know if it was the telephone or the pain that woke me up this morning. It seemed that I moved in bed and felt a terrific pain in my shoulder, at the same time the telephone rang. It was my 31 year-old son calling from overseas. We talked while I massaged my shoulder. Perhaps the pain came from the stress of carrying my 23 lb. book laden bag (yes, I did weigh it) around all day or maybe it was a signal that rain was imminent -- old injuries tend to react in that way. By the time I hung up the phone it was raining and I knew that the day would provide some new challenge.

By the time I left the house it was pouring and that's when I realized my daughter had driven off hours earlier, with my umbrella secured under her truck seat. Thank goodness for Wally World -- no matter how one feels about Wal-Mart, they are always good in a pinch. With a new umbrella, I was off to campus. My husband got me to my destination without further incident, and I began my cycle of Thursday classes.

Aside from juggling my rather heavy bag with an umbrella in the rain, over the ever present hills and steps, my day was shaping up to be rather uneventful. This was not to be however, there was something else in store. When my husband came to pick me up, he stopped at the curb in front of the building of where I was waiting. I proceeded down the sidewalk and when I reached the curb it was necessary for me to step on to the grass in order to get into my husband's truck. I remember looking down before I placed my foot on the grass and noticed nothing amiss, but when I placed my left foot down, it went deep into a hole and I pitched forward. Landing on the concrete curb on both knees, I felt the jolt all the way to my head and I heard the crack of my Blackberry hitting the concrete. I scrambled up and managed to get in the truck. That's when the pain set in. Long story shortened a bit, I have knots on each knee that are swelling by the minute, a slight bruise on my forehead (not sure how I got that) and a broken Blackberry screen.

I mentioned in an earlier post that over the years I have faced many challenges to furthering my education. I feel this incident while relatively minor, but painful is synonymous with my struggle to accomplishment. There are always forces at work to deter a person from their destination. There is rain, breaks and falls that come to hinder, but we must always forge on. My swollen knees will go down, my bruises will disappear and I will carry on and ultimately receive the degrees I have set out to obtain.