I appreciate the memories that Facebook delivers to my notifications every morning. It’s fun to see who I connected with on this day in the past and what I was doing. And because this is my third year of daily blogging, I see previous posts from my Year of Firsts and Year of Journeys.
I’m grateful that I’ve written daily blog posts because otherwise, I would have forgotten so much. This morning, as I read last year’s post from October 6, I was reminded that amid the fun that my grandson Dayan and I had, watching the extended edition of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at the theater, I had a painful first. I began an unexpected journey of my own, using a cane for the first time, to aid walking.
I was optimistic in that post from a year ago, that I would only be using the cane for a week or so. (You can read that blog post HERE) However, the days stretched into weeks and then months, and the pain and stiffness in my left leg grew worse, not better.
The cane became a necessity. My life narrowed down considerably. My goal each day was to get through the list of tasks I had, with the least amount of discomfort possible. My friend Margit brought some relief through physical therapy, massage and energy work on my leg and lower back. However, when my right leg began to have the same symptoms, I knew I was in trouble. Instead of walking with a cane, I was facing the prospect of being wheelchair bound.
I was not ready for that. Something had to change.
Gratefully, something did change, thanks to Anthony William’s book…my diet.
Late this afternoon, as I was fast-walking across the Target parking lot, I marveled at the difference in my body compared to one year ago. I felt great today. I had no pain. And no cane. I’m coming up on three months in my healing journey, three months of eating a plant based diet and eliminating sugar, dairy, meat, gluten, soy and corn from my life.
I’ve also eliminated aches and pains, headaches, allergies, a persistent rash on my arm, indigestion, acid reflux, digestive issues, sciatica, sleep disorders…and 30 pounds of excess weight. I am beyond grateful. I am estatic.
The journey continues. I am still healing. I have minor stiffness in my left leg if I sit or sleep with it bent for too long. But my leg is stronger, more flexible, and the horrible pain is gone. I am loving the simplicity of a plant based lifestyle…and the nutrition and healing properties as well. This is a path I have chosen and one I am happy to be on. It is a way of life now, not just a diet.
And I will journey on without the cane. I haven’t used it at all now, for weeks. It rests forlornly in a corner and I’m content for it to stay there. I am saying goodbye to the cane. It served me well, but our relationship has come to an end. I don’t dwell on the past…because I’m not headed in that direction. But it was good today to look back…and see how far I’ve come.
