A walk on the wild side
Friday August 19
On the 6th, 7th and 8th of August I walked 19,454; 14,321 and 23,592 steps, even on the morning of the 9th I walked 5,375 steps. Then it drops to less than a hundred, rising to around 200 steps around the time of leaving the hospital. Being in a house, with the need to go from living room to kitchen to bathroom does allow it to naturally climb, but it is only today that it goes over 1,000 to 1,492 steps.
This is a result of a first walk outside. It is a strange feeling, leaving the house, and ‘walking’ down to the end of the road and then back again. It’s a really short distance, and under normal circumstances wouldn’t even count as a walk, but now feels like the equivalent of walking all day. It’s a nice feeling of having done it and raises the target of what can be done.
I do feel comfortable doing this and am much more comfortable about my ability than my sister is. However, there is a worry that if something goes wrong, then it can really set me back. Equally, the potential for hopelessness if it goes wrong while away from the house. It is a curious feeling to be trapped between the need to move, ultimately the thing that needs to be done and the thing that actually makes someone better, and the fear of another accident. While I’m happy to keep trying, I can understand why some people find it hard to get started and just give up.
Walking should be a straight-forward activity. A few months after we’re born we master this activity, then spend decades putting foot in front of foot in order to cross the world that we find.
Then sometimes it happens that this power is taken away, due to the fragility of old age, accidents or injuries caused by the violent actions of others.
Having the power to just stand up and walk where I want brings home how what seems a natural action is anything but. The complicated combination of thinking and doing, the constant instruction that the brain is sending down to the legs, who react and move just as precisely as needed and intended is a wonder.
