LEARNING TO WALK AGAIN

     The doctor had diagnosed the unsteadiness I was experiencing and had prescribed physical therapy but when I got to the PT center Teresa discovered several other contributing factors that have been dealt with so that I might learn to walk again.

     When I say, learning to walk again, I should say, learning to walk correctly for the first time.  Peripheral neuropathy takes away some of the sensory cues we use to maintain balance but that loss can be offset, somewhat, by strengthening some of the other ways we have for keeping ourselves upright.

     So, week after week, I have walked straight lines, balanced on teeter boards and heavy cushions, picked up cones and caught rubber balls while walking.  I’ve balanced on suspended platforms while mimicking Mohamed Ali’s ‘sting like a bee’.  With eyes closed I’ve ‘looked at’ four corners of a room while standing on a couch cushion and then walked in spirals in the hallways.  The patience Teresa has shown me is only exceeded by the amount of work we have to do twice a week.

     However, I wish not to harangue yet another ‘physical terrorist’, but to bestow on that group of caregivers the appreciation due them for the endless hours of pouring themselves into the lives of those who are ailing.  Their touch often goes deeper than the muscles and tissues they are repairing.      
     He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” Mark 2:12