My 1st few days at my parents home, was adjusting and accepting a lot of things. Mostly realizations that for the time being, I wouldn’t be able to do certain things. Then learning to be patient that certain things are not going to happen at my time or my pace. It’s like time or motion has kinda slowed down for me. If I happen to drop something on the floor or wanted something out of my reach by the bed side, I had to call out to someone and wait till he or she came along to help out. We almost don’t think about certain things we do out of the ordinary without even giving it a second thought. Like when was the last time we said Alhamdhulillah for being able to just stand, bend down and pick up something? 😊

Oh but don’t get me wrong I was glad to be out of the hospital room. The change of view and environment did do me good. Before the accident, I was super busy and missed spending enough time with family, even if I am in one room all day long I was happy that my family was around. Alhamdulillah! Yet it was a lot of getting used to. At home, I lay on a larger bed than at the hospital, but I can’t turn over or lay on my sides. I don’t think I will be able to do that for some time now. But it’s ok, just a matter of getting used to it. I keep reminding myself of a WhatsApp up msg I once received from a good and close friend of mine “ This too shall pass” The true essence of this phase you realize when you actually go through an experience like this. I try to think of the time how I felt standing up on one leg after so many days of being bedridden even if it was just for two seconds!! Or even the 1st time I urinated after removing the catheter, oh man I was like “ Alhammmmdhulilllllaaahhhh !!!.😊😊😂 ( Thank you Allah ) I tell you, Allah has made it so easy for us through the natural way!! So one way to keep hope is to look at the joy it’s going to bring once all this is fixed. And oh boy I have a lot to look forward to 😊😊!! In sha Allah (God willing ) Such things help most of the time to keep things positive.

As I mentioned earlier there were a lot of things to get used to otherwise. I tried to make things as independent as possible, using the commode, wiping my body ( bath time ). Make sure I have my meds or other things within my reach. Although I still had to depend on my family for certain things which were ok.

The persistent fly

There was a fly incident that was out of my control. This little guy would ( I felt ) purposely taunt me by sitting on my foot. My injured leg’s foot is swollen and I wouldn’t know the fly was sitting on my foot unless I actually saw it! It got to me as I couldn’t reach out and shoo it away. It was one adamant fly, it was like it knew my situation. There was a leftover plate of pastries on the bed by the opposite side, but no !! The fly didn’t want that! No sugar !! The fly still wanted my foot! Even if I did manage to throw a hand towel at it or a small crumble of tissue paper, it would persistently still come back and sit on my foot!! Finally, I had to call in the cavalry! My family went at it with fly bats, rolled newspaper, and mosquito bats!! soon the fly met its doom under the coils of the mosquito bat !!

Something so simple as to swat or shoo a fly away is going to be not that easy was a realization curve happening right then and there. But this is a msg to me and all flies out there “ I am here, I am waiting and I am not alone. I have my family and I’ll be on my feet soon – This too shall pass! 😃😁😊 ( imagine saying these lines in the voice of Optimus prime – you’ll feel the confidence in me ) – 😂😂 – I tell ya too many movies!

Handy man dad

My parents, my brother, and his family all live together. My brother battled cancer for nearly two years and now is a strong survivor. It’s from him I take up a lot of my inspiration to face challenges. I throw in a little humor to that inspiration at times to keep things on the lighter side😊. Both my parents, although age has started to catch up with them Alhamdulillah (Thanks to Allah ) are still able to manage things to an extent.

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, dad is Mr. Fixit, the handyman around the house. He is super good at making things or putting things together. The second day at home he walks into the room and asks “when do you want the laptop, the monitors, and things?” Back at the hospital, we had discussed making a bedside moveable table so once I am back at the house, I can start using my laptop and if possible get my online sessions and freelancing going. I was like “whenever we can make that table we discussed before”

Another thing with Dad is he loves to keep himself engaged with such projects. I guess I take after him in this. I can trace my flair for scrap art roots to him in a way. You guys can check out the scrap art section on my art page if you want to know what I am talking about.

The bed side table

So sketches and specs were drawn up. Dad arranged a welder he knows and went to work. I had some square pipes and ply materials left from my work table project a few months back laying at my tinker shop ( my terrace 😊)

By evening the structure was ready. With help of my elder nephew, they got it down from my tinker shop and brought it into my room for a trial run. It seems to work out fine. Dad was very keen on finishing it that day itself but it was getting late and he was tired.

The next day for the finishing touch he spray painted it black, and all that was needed was to cover the ply. With my cousin, Shibu’s help got a good-looking rexin cover. Dad did a good job of covering the ply with it and finally, my bedside table was ready!!

It was moveable as it had wheels and was heavy and strong enough to carry the weight of my laptop and my 21” monitor, plus the wireless keyboard and Wacom tablet. Yet it was light enough for me to pull from the bed and position it to my convenience.

The other thing dad made for me is the A.E 2022.2.0 !!! ( The Arm Extender 2022.20!!! ) 😂This little device made from a simple PVC pipe with a poseable steel wire attached at its end has proved to be one of the most helpful things he made for me. In my situation not being able to reach out to things just a few inches away from your fingertips can be surprisingly irritating at times, The Arm extender solves a lot of that issue for me. Just as how we take standing for granted, not being able to reach out for things is yet another thing we take for granted.

It goes without saying -😊“ I got the best Dad in the world !! “ – Alhamdulillah !! 🥰🥰🥰