Life WILL Throw Curveballs

I’ve heard the old saying, “If the shoe fits, then wear it” more times than I can count. Typically speaking, when someone says that it is usually a derogatory comment meaning that they are the brunt of a joke because of some sort of quirky or negative thing about them.

This morning, I was incredibly excited because I was FINALLY getting my new custom-fit brace for my ankle. 10 months ago, while out on a date night with my husband, I stepped right off a curb. Never in a million years, did I think that one step would bring such turmoil for 10-plus months.

This brace, a thousand-dollar custom-fit brace, was going to revolutionize my life! I just knew it!! 10 months ago, I never would have thought that I would be so excited about a stinking brace.

Immediately after my fall, using crutches, I hobbled out of an emergency room in an air boot. No shoes, just an ugly, bulky air boot. After a short time in the boot, I was putting a cast and then another cast only to find myself back into the ugly, big boot. Nothing seemed to be healing correctly, so surgery was scheduled. Following surgery, I was in a cast then I graduated back to the boot for yet another six LONG weeks. Finally, real shoes with just a typical ankle brace were the doctor’s orders! The day came when I was able to put on regular shoes. Along with coming out of the boot and into regular shoes, came terrible pain and swelling. Although the boot was bulky and, to be honest, something I was so eager to get out of… I was ready to go back into it, just to ease the pain.

You see, what I wanted to be able to wear, I was no longer able to. In December of last year, I could wear any style of shoe I wanted with no problem. I’ve already chunked all the shoes I had with heels. I know that I will never be able to get back in heels. Let me tell you, everything can change with just one step.

Today, the doctor put the brace on my ankle and it felt great! It stabilized my pained ankle in all the right areas with just the right amount of pressure! That is…. until we try to fit my braced foot into my tennis shoe. It is a brace that has to be worn with tennis shoes for it to do its proper job. After a whole lot of unlacing, wiggling, prying, and shoving, we finally managed to squeeze both my foot and the brace inside the shoe. The comfort level changed. No longer did it feel comfortable. 

My doctor recommended a specific shoe for me to buy. I left straight from the office, unhappy that I had to buy a new pair of shoes. I really didn’t have the time to go shopping, nor did I have the money to spend on shoes. A quick call to my husband and I was on my way to the store. I had become rather excited about getting a new shoe that would be perfect with this new comfortable brace. All I needed was something a little bit bigger right?

I made it to the store and made my way back to the shoe section. I just knew I was going to be able to walk in and find a pair of shoes that were just perfect. My goal was to find something quickly that would not stand out with a pair of jeans or dress clothes. Maybe something solid black. In and out of the store quickly. That’s a joke! First of all, there are very few tennis shoes that are solid black. I told the employee what I was looking for and they brought me out several pairs of shoes in the size we thought would work best. I felt like one of the evil step-sisters on Cinderella trying to shove my foot into the glass slipper. Nothing seemed to be fitting. Time was slipping by with no luck finding that “perfect shoe”. 

Discouragement settled in. After sliding my foot partially into the 10th, 11th, and 12th pair of shoes, I felt incredibly discouraged. I was at the point of being in tears feeling like I would never find a shoe that would work with this boot. The boot that I was so in love with just an hour prior. I became ungrateful and discontent. You see, I have dealt with pain for 10 straight months. I’ve been desperate for it to feel better. Right when I thought that this would be a miracle cure, discouragement was all I seemed to find.

I even tried on men’s shoes hoping that maybe they would fit better. Nothing! Nothing was working. I was texting back and forth with my husband. Him being the encourager that he is, kept trying to send words of encouragement. I was so aggravated that I didn’t care to listen to his positive words. 

Finally, after about the 20th pair of shoes, the lady brought out a pair of shoes and told me to give them a shot. They were far from the solid black that I was intending to buy. The cost was far greater than I was wanting to pay. BUT…..THEY FIT!

10 months ago, life threw our family a little bit of a curveball. Again. It has been a year of change for our whole family. The things I used to be able to do, I can’t anymore. The way that I used to look, I don’t look that way anymore. 

Life is not always perfect. I am not perfect. Truly, I am the furthest from perfect. However, the good, the bad, the ugly….. if the shoe fits wear it. We have to take whatever it is that we are given…… the blessings and the trials. We have to wear them. Whatever shoes fit, wear them. Things change, people change, and life changes. The shoes that once fit, may not fit anymore. We may not like it. It is just part of what makes us who we are. 

So, although the shoes I wound up with are NOT what I was planning to buy, I still bought them. Ten months ago, this trial is NOT one that I happily signed up for. It IS all part of life. We will go through ups and downs in life. Some of the downs may be really low and really long but the ups will come! 

There are people that have it far worse than me and there are people that have it far better than me. For THIS moment in my life, my shoes may stand out, and the limp that I walk with is obvious to those around me but it’s all about accepting any and ALL situations that are thrown our way. 

Next time I hear the phrase “If the shoe fits, wear it”, I will have a different thought than most people would have. Wear your shoes proudly… eventually, you will get a new pair that may be better…. or may not…. but it will all be ok in the end!

 

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