17: Something that made a huge impact on your life recently

[Shay]

A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
This happened to me on February 1st, 2008. I was at a newly built Walmart in Streetsboro, OH. I was wearing snow boots that didn't really grip well on a floor that still had that slick, dusty warehouse feel to them. I was standing in line with a couple friends to check out when a lane next to us opened up. We all went to head to the next one, but my boots did not like the sudden movement on the floor and my feet slipped out from under me. Like an idiot, I tried to catch myself and failed. I attempted to laugh the pain off and just stand up as if it was nothing. Of course it was my dominant foot that was injured. I went to stand up, putting all the pressure of my body on my right foot and instantly fell back down. It was like I didn't even have a foot there and just collapsed. Suddenly I was overcome with extreme heat. If I could, I would have stripped all my clothes off that instant, but was only able to take off my coat legally. I also fought the urge to puke. My friend Brandon stated that I turned completely pale as if I had just seen a ghost. It is one of the most incredible pains I have ever felt in my life next to my Thunder Clap disease. I ended up with a second degree sprain, just shy of a third degree and was on crutches from beginning of February through mid April. Doctor said it would have been better if I broke it.

To this day it has greatly affected me. I am incapable of doing a lot of work with it or walking on it for long periods of time. Some days it's not as bad as others, but my foot will now swell any time the heat or constant movement irritates it too much. When we went to a friend's baby shower a couple years ago, we were not even out for 45 minutes and were forced to leave. My foot looked like a purple balloon. I'm not even kidding. I did not even know a foot was capable of looking like that. I couldn't walk on it. It felt like if I took one step with my right foot, it would most assuredly burst. Because of the issues with the swelling, I have to limit what I do. I would like to play Roller Derby here in Lincoln, but unfortunately I have to forgo for risk of costing the game or my foot.

[bella]

Ouch! This looks more than painful.

[Shay]

Just a follow-up picture. This is how my foot looked a few weeks later.

[Beany]

Wow. Nasty.

Something that made a huge impact on my life recently? This isn't really recent considering my age, but it was about two years ago. There was a gunman in England, who shot his family and then anyone who came near him. I heard about this on the news and it scared me so much that I kept having nightmares and not being able to sleep properly. My parents were beginning to worry about me because I was having regular panic attacks and it got to the point where I couldn't be left on my own at all. Nowadays, I like to think that I'm getting better. I'm still fearful of being killed or seeing someone be killed, and I still can't comfortably stay in a room on my own (except for ones with locks and my bedroom), but the nightmares pretty much went away and I haven't had a panic attack from it for about a year now.

[Wesley]

My younger sister got married. Then a couple of years later she started having kids. Lots of them. Thomas, Jane, Benjamin, Henry, Sylvia. After having Sylvia, she decided she wanted to be in better shape than the average mother of five. So she started training for the Baltimore marathon. Different running techniques, different training, funny shoes, all that stuff. She ran a few 5K races, did a half marathon, and before the year was out, she had completed her first marathon! A few weeks later, she did a 10K for charity with a friend. A month or two after that she did another marathon! 26.2 miles. She even has a sticker on her minivan that is just,"26.2" in a circle.

To me, what is so impressive about this is the fact that for so many years, so much of her adult life, she had a certain lifestyle. She spent approximately 45 months pregnant. Lots of time changing diapers and stuff. Due to complications in a couple of the pregnancies, she had to stay off her feet most of the time. After having that type of behavior become habitual, she just decided to change it. And she did. Even after long periods of not being who you want to be, not doing what you feel you need to do, it is still possible to make these changes and accomplish these goals with the magic of human willpower.

[Shay]

This is very true. However, with the magic of willpower comes belief. You must truly believe something is possible in order for your willpower to succeed. Although I know this to be true, I cannot convince myself and believe enough that my foot will not swell up something fierce while doing sports. And thus, I lack the willpower to make the magic happen.

[Wesley]

I was referring to the "Magic" of being able to change your mindset and make changes to your life. Fixing damaged tissue in your ankle? Umm, the only magic that will fix that is some time in an MRI and some laparoscopic surgery on the joint.

[Shay]

I dunno. "Miracles" happen. Lol

[Wesley]

Yeah! You need a Miracle Really Intently! M.R.I..... Get it?

[Shay]

Never! I am just going to pray the grace of God will magically heal me!

[LaLou]

How recently?

[Shay]

Well mine was in the last four years. "Recently" is kind of relative. If it was something from when you were a child, not really that recent comparatively speaking. I'd say just use best guess. *shrug* If you consider it recent, then go for it.

[chex]

There was that whole spawning a third hatchling thing. I couldn't drink for get laid the entire first half of the pregnancy!

[bella]

Becoming a member of this forum had an impact on my life. Meeting new people, lots of them very nice ones, making friendships and having a place to go to every day, this is much more than I could have expected at the beginning.

[Shay]

[LaLou]

Lots of things made a huge impact on my life. The most recent wasgetting this job.

[Eff]

what job and what impact

[LaLou]

Oh, I didn't tell?
The job is cleaning for elderly or disabled people who cannot do their own cleaning. The impact is that I don't have to worry about money getting in.

The thing that made the most impact on my life happened 34 years ago. That is not really recent, so I picked something else.

[Clarence]

Tamarra

[chex]

Can you type that in bigger font, for Effie's benefit?