Walking in Water

Note the preposition: in. However, it's a miracle none the less.

I'll never forget my surgeon's brutal honesty in the emergency room that she could make no promises of me ever walking again. The odds were never in my favor, but they never are for a girl on fire. Any steps I take, I want to celebrate. Today I took a walk with Alex in the pool to try to loosen up my ridiculously tight calf muscles. It was ok.

Please note, I'm still incredibly excited I got to take more steps today - that's always a thrill. I just don't like swimming. I haven't owned a bathing suit since high school. The idea of getting in a swimming pool when I don't have control of all the muscles in my legs seemed slightly less appealing. However, Alex knows what's best for my legs, and I trust her. I was fortunate to have several friends here offer me their swimsuits when they discovered I might need one, so I had the nurses help me into the suit and corset and piled towels on my lap to wheel to the pool.

All week the nurses have been asking me if I'm excited to get in the pool, and my response is to break into "Part of that World" from The Little Mermaid. "Bright young women, sick of swimmin', ready to staaaaaaand" just seems so appropriate to my condition. My first response was, "I know that song in Greek," and today's nurse told me, "I know that song in French." The ridiculousness of my situation does not escape me as my Disney reference crosses cultures which brings a smile to my face though I was still a little despondent as I rolled down to the pool this afternoon.

Alex knew I wasn't looking forward to it, but I still worked hard. As usual, she was right, and as she stretched my legs underwater at the end of the lesson, they were less tight than this morning when she had to use her whole body weight to fight the spastics in my calves.

The tightness in my muscles makes walking a struggle, so I crave your prayers that my legs would begin to relax and my feet would remember to stand flat.