Here I am sat in the office, 3 and a half weeks after my accident. I never thought that doing something so seemingly ordinary could make me so happy. I got to see lots of friends, colleagues and customers, did over 7,000 steps (or hops) and even managed a networking event with a few drinks.
The London underground is tough on crutches (even outside of rush hour) and I made the mistake of not properly planning my route before I went. I arrived into Old Street, one of the stations without step free access. Great. Up the stairs I went followed by an escalator and then more stairs. If you are planning on it, check this map before you travel on the tube. A short bus ride later down the road and I'd made it to the office.
Once in I set myself up. I'm probably making the most of it in the picture but I wanted to include as much of my company's furniture as I could (shamefully turning my broken leg into a marketing opportunity, what can I say?)
After a short while sitting in the showroom I decided I wanted to go and visit a few people. Clerkenwell, where our showroom is, has the highest concentration of architects and interior designers that anywhere else on the planet so I wanted to make the most out of being in town. I crutched around to three offices in total and although I turned up at the door a bit sweaty and out of breath, it did the power of good to go and see them. Whilst I know this is probably not true, I had started to fee like I had been forgotten sitting at home. Getting out made me feel a lot more like a proper member of society and as though I was doing my job properly again.
I also remembered half way through the day that there was a network even that I had been invited to before my injury. I um'd and ar'd about going and listened to everyone's advice which was mainly not to go, and decided I'd give it a shot. As soon as I arrived I realised it wasn't going to be so straight forward. A two story showroom with a staircase to the ground floor and no lift. After a glass of champagne for Dutch Courage and with the help of a willing client of mine, I made my way down. I saw and spoke to more people than I have in almost 4 weeks, it was bloody fantastic. Everyone had well wishes for me and I saw people I hadn't for months before,it gave my confidence a real boost.
I bopped back up the stairs, again with the help of a friend and made it out the door at about 9pm. By this stage I was a bit knackered so I decided that a taxi might be the best option. Even my cab driver was a really friendly guy. Jackpot of a day. On my way I took a look at my step counter on my iPhone, some pretty impressive results:
Although today I am very tired and I have very numb fingers on one hand (due to nerve compression, look it up if you use are on crutches because it's no joke) yesterday couldn't have been better for my mental state. I felt as though I had something to talk about to Roisin when I got home for a change and the exercise I had got had given me some good endorphins too.
Now I'm not suggesting for one minute that what I did yesterday should be inspiring or any of that kind of malarkey, but I felt proud. Nobody would have blamed me for staying at home (the easy option), but I knew that wasn't the best option for me. There's not a lot in life that comes easy and it certainly won't come to use if we are wrapped up in the duvet watching Netflix, this injury has made me appreciate that more than ever.
If you're not quite there yet then check out my post about express bone healing to get back on your feet faster!
Ben :)
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