Sometimes you just hit a point and you just don’t know. I’m literally there right now. I was anticipating writing a couple posts talking about all the stuff I miss about having two leg. Not just as a parent, but as a person in general. I thought the words would just flow from my mind into my fingers and onto the screen. But here I am. Wordless. I can tell you what I think I should miss about having two legs. That’s easy. But I don’t have that nagging feeling deep in my gut that confirms those thoughts. I know there is a piece missing, obviously you can see what it is, but I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything if that makes any sense? And I’m not sure if it’s because I don’t let having one leg define me or if it’s because you just get so used to this different life that you fill that hole where the missing stuff once was with things that you find as a perk about your situation.

Many of you know that I was a very active runner pre-amp. Not as much as my sister was & still is, but still felt good about my 2-3 miles a day. So obviously I would put running on my list of things I miss. But you burn SO MUCH ENERGY living life on one leg that I’m almost positive I get just as much of a workout in a days times as I did when I ran. Sure it takes the entire day & not just 30 minutes, but that means I don’t end the day nearly as sweaty which results is wayyyy less showers. Total amp perk.

A lot of you also know that I was a mom pre-amp. My son was 10 months old when I lost my leg. So I’d definitely put picking my kids up in the middle of the room on my two leg list. However, since losing my leg, I’ve developed an INSANE sense of balance. Like I literally can & will still pick my kids up in the middle of the room. My oldest is kind of a giant so it doesn’t really happen anymore. But for my daughters it does. Especially my littlest. I carry her to bed practically every night. I’ve always said that my son was my first child but my oldest daughter was also a first because she’s the first one I had on one leg. And every parent can attest that we don’t really know what we are doing with our firsts. It’s a whole different ball game. Like you’re trying to play football on a baseball diamond & you only have a basketball to play with. Yah. Parenting is kind of like that. So my youngest is very comparable to others 2nd child. You kind of know what you’re doing this time. Definitely not a pro by any means, but definitely aren’t on JV anymore. You’ve learned the ropes a little bit. So I don’t think picking kids up can even qualify as a thing I miss because I’m still able to do it.

Are you starting to see where my problem lies?

Of course there are a number of things I miss when I’m caught up in a moment. I miss two legs when I’m at a wedding because I LOVED square dancing. So much that I was the person chanting “One More Song” after they’ve already played 3 in a row. I miss having two legs after a really big snow fall because of snow ball fights & snowmen. Trust me when I tell you that walkers & 6+ inches of snow are not friends. And ice & one legged people aren’t BFF’s either. I miss that extra leg when you’re hanging out a pond. Because ponds have beaches. And beaches are made of sand. And when you have to scoot on your butt up to shore so you don’t face plant, I’m sure you can guess what begins to fill my swim bottoms. Sand. Sand. And more sand. Yuck.

I’d be lying to you if I said that I never missed having two legs. If magic existed & there was some way to “Abra Kadabra” me another leg, like an actual human leg, I would probably be willing to pay a very pretty penny for it. But that doesn’t mean I get caught up in searching for a magic potion or the secret magic words that I miss all the wonderful things that are still happening for me. I keep my list short for a reason. Because life is good. I have found so many ways to adapt to the world that surrounds me that it seems silly to me to dwell on the 5 or 6 things that amputation has taken from me. Because I have infinite things that are wonderful & I am blessed to still have or be able to do.

So today I want you to look at your list of things that you think you are missing because of the way your life has turned out & decide if they are really missing or if you just think they are. Is it a really a dead end or did you just not realize that two lefts & then a right gets you exactly where you wanted to go too? Or that a bike, even an arm bike, can get you from point A to point B. Maybe not as fast. But it still keeps you moving forward. And in life, forward is such a good direction. And as I wrap this up, I have discovered that I had plenty of words to tell you about what I don’t know. I might not know what I miss most about what life was like on 2 legs, but I do know that’s not a bad thing. Because that means I have found my detour. I have found new ways to make the things that have always made me happy work. And I plan to always keep looking forward. I hope you do too.

👚: Project Everybody Beautiful

P. S. If you’d like a chance at winning a #PEB shirt, I think The Peg Leg Dad is GIVING one away! So hop (pun intended) on over to his page & get yourself entered! These shirts are worth the 30 seconds it’ll take.

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