College Memories and Braceless Walking

This is a quick post tonight. I planned to write something earlier but the library was calling and after picking up over a dozen children's books, I no longer had any real desire for writing. Instead I sat on the couch and drank endless cups of coffee and read children's books. It was a good day.

I figured I had a nice quiet evening to work up some children's book posts for the other blog, when Jeff came down the stairs and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He had his final in night class tonight and asked me if I wanted to have dinner with him. Like I'm ever going to turn down dinner out. Ha! The catch was that we would either have to drive separately or I would have to go down to Drake with him and sit down there for a half hour or so while he took his exam. I opted to go with. I haven't been down to Drake in years and wanted to show him a secret section of the library that I'd discovered (ah the privileges of a librarian).

So after a tasty fast food Chinese dinner we headed down to Drake. He headed to the exam and I found myself a quiet table up by the library to sit and write. At first it seemed like any other place I sit and write but after a while I began to remember things. It's been over ten years since I graduated from Drake. And the memories just came flooding back. It was odd to sit there on campus and think about how young the women and men (and I use those terms loosely) were who walked by. I could almost be their mother. And I thought about how things had changed for me since I was a young college student. I've lost days, weeks, years that I know are not coming back. I've lost a bit of my innocence from that time and I've definitely become a bit more cynical. But I've gained a lot too. I have a new perspective on life and love and work. I've grown to understand a bit more about how the world works and what my place within it is. I've gained experience and knowledge and a bit more calm. And all this came to me as I sat at a table at my alma mater watching the college kids walk past.

It was a good experience and although I felt old sitting there, I was still a bit disappointed when it was time to go. I miss college (I'm an academic at heart) but I think more than anything I miss the freedom and innocence I had back then.

On a completely different note I'm on my second day of brace-free walking and am so incredibly happy that I'm glowing. I spent all yesterday with bare feet enjoying the sensation of carpet under my toes. It's something that has been missing from my life for the last four months. I went to therapy this morning (yes I apparently wasn't finished) and am finally starting to feel normal again. I don't have a lot of pain and so far my walking doesn't seem much different. I've even been walking on grass quite a bit today. So far no issue. I don't think I'll miss this brace.