Ok. So today I have something new for you. Something that will allow you to get to know me a little bit better. I need you to stand up and stand far enough away from something that you can grab onto if need to but can’t rely on. Can you guess what I am about to ask you to do? Yup. Stand on one leg. I need you to try to stand on one leg while you read this post. I promise to not make it stupid long, maybe just a couple of minutes, but I have a feeling by the end of this post, you’ll understand the amp life a bit better because if you are anything like me, hands on is the best way I learn.

Feel that burn? Yah it will go away in about 3 ½ years. Maybe a little over. But more importantly, how useful do you feel right now? Do you feel like you can just hop over and start making supper? Or how about going to pick up your crying baby on the other side of the room? Being an amputee is hard. Not just because you have actually lost a limb, but because you have to relearn how to be useful again. Not just from the point of view of those that depend on you, but from your own point of view. Now that’s hard. In a previous post I have mentioned how hard it is to impress yourself as an amputee, and that stands true now more than ever. Figuring out a course of action and then executing it to make your life more simple and your family’s life more simple, all while trying not to fall flat on your face is a task that is not for the faint of heart. And trust me, when you do fall, because you will fall, it’s a LONG way down. Physically and emotionally. Because not only did you just hurt yourself, you hurt your pride. And many of you may think I make going through life on one leg look easy, but you also probably don’t realize the number of times I have fallen and had to drag myself up off the floor. Those are the things it’s hard to see or realize until your actually standing in my shoe.

So how are you holding up? How many times have you almost put your foot down because of the burn? Or because you have lost your balance? Be honest now. Now realize how many times I get to put my foot down to help me catch myself when I feel like I am free falling? Yah. That’s a big fat zero. When I fall, I fall hard. And I’m talking both ways here. It’s hard to put yourself out there as an amputee. But if you don’t, it’ll be even harder to feel useful or like yourself ever again. And is the risk of falling really worth losing the opportunity to possibly fly? I don’t think it is. So now that it is finally time to put your other foot down, remember that feeling when you do. Because that’s the feeling I will long to feel again but because I can’t, I have learned to fly in a variety of other ways. And for that I will forever be thankful for…

P.S. Comment below to tell me how long you lasted or how many times you had to readjust! Just for kicks and giggles!

#TheOneLeggedMommy #Amputee #OneLeggedStandingContest #HipDisarticulation #NecrotizingFasciitis #Useful #Relearn #FeelTheBurn