Joy Found Me!

     After a little more than a year of blogging, I just stopped.  Thinking that I had nothing more to say about finding joy in life, being too busy or being distracted; my motivation ended.  I did not want to stop: I just did.  "A Small Patch of Flowers" is  a blog about finding joy in life. Finding joy is not something that can be manufactured. It has to come from the heart. It is a terribly important subject in my mind and I did not want my posts to be trivial.  Today joy found me.
     Six and a half years ago, I was in a terrible accident when I fell off of a ladder trying to pull some vines off of my mother's old house.  It was a stupid thing to do.  My tugging and pulling caused the electrical wires to break, a transformer popped and I fell to avoid electrocution.  Six pins, a steel plate and a bone graft later, I had to learn to walk all over again.  A walker, wheel chair, crutches, cane, raised toilet seat, shower seat and wooden ramp became a part of my life. 
     Recovery was slow, but eventually I could walk normally.  It still takes a lot of mental concentration to go up and down steps, if I want to look natural.  That skill is definitely not easy even now.
     Exercise, especially walking, has been very important to me for weight control  and overall good health.   I have been very sporadic about it this past year, however.  Running is something I would repeatedly try, but could never do at all without tremendous stress to my injured leg. 
     I often visualize running.  Remembering what it was like to move quickly through space with arms and legs in a rhythmic movement.  The feeling of running and taking in the fresh air on a beautiful day were experiences  I wondered if I would ever enjoy again in this life time. (Who else dreams of running?)
     When I went to the basement this morning for a little walking exercise, I tried running as I usually do.  I was not expecting anything other than the usual awkward "hop-step".  I did not earn it, train for it or even deserve it, but today it happened.  I could run!   The feeling was absolutely amazing even though I was not outside.  I ran smoothly.  Yes, I did!
     "Okay", I asked myself, "Am I dreaming?"  I raced upstairs, woke up my sleeping husband and asked him to watch me run. I asked him if I looked normal and if I limped when I ran.  When my witness said that it looked normal and without a limp, I could not contain the joy. (Of course normal is a relative term.)
      I am so thankful.   (I remind you, too, don't give up on your dreams!)  Joy found me!