Breaking a bone sucks. I broke my leg all the way back in June after a skim boarding accident. A week later when I saw my doctor back home, I was informed I was getting surgery the next day to put the bone back in place. I would spend the following six weeks on crutches.
So I spent a total of seven weeks on crutches. Seven weeks of my summer. It was hard. It still is, since I have to relearn how to walk.
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For some of the time, I was miserable. Which is understandable. My summer was just hijacked by my inability to be athletic. I could barely do anything for myself. I couldn’t drive anywhere. I couldn’t get food for myself. I couldn’t go on adventures. I had to find other ways to pass the time. And so, my lovelies, here is a list of ways to survive the summer with a broken leg.
1. Read
When you’re stuck on your butt for weeks at a time, it’s a great time to catch up on some reading. I’ve read a whole load of books this summer, and I’m still behind on my list. Books help you escape your life when you need a break, which is much appreciated when you’ve been living on the couch or in your room and can’t really leave. Here are some suggestions to get you started:
The Mortal Instruments: This series is by Cassandra Clare. She wrote another series that takes place before this one, and she is working on a third. But YOU HAVE TO READ THIS ONE FIRST. Just trust me :) But these books are full of adventure, excitement, humor, and, of course, romance. This series will definitely distract you from your broken leg.
Angles and Demons: Dan Brown is a fantastic author, and he wrote a number of books, four of which follow a character by the name of Robert Langdon. This is the first of those four books. If you’re looking for a thrill ride of excitement and intellectual stimulation, these books are for you.
2. Binge Watch a Show
I actually did this more than read. I’ve been binge watching Friends all summer. Season 2 of Jane the Virgin was also just released on Netflix, which follows a young woman who is impregnated but still a virgin. Hart of Dixie is also a show I love dearly. It’s about a New York City doctor who moves to a small town in Alabama and has to adjust to her new life in the Deep South. And one of my all time favorites is Reign, a historical fiction about Mary, Queen of Scots. Much like books, binge watching your show can help distract you from your broken leg and you can live vicariously through your characters.
3. Write Something
Writing for my weekly Odyssey article definitely helped me. As we all know, once we watch too much TV in one sitting, our brains kinda start to go numb. Writing helps keep your mind sharp. It gets you thinking—what should I write about? What word should I use? AND WHY CAN’T I FIND A PICTURE THE RIGHT SIZE? But even if you don’t write for an online magazine, try writing short stories. Or, if you’re not a story teller, just write whatever comes to mind. You don’t have to let anyone else see it, but it’ll give you something else to do other than eating ice cream and watching Friends.
4. DIY Projects
My boyfriend got me started on DIY. It got me doing something different, and I got to make stuff! We made a light out of a mason jar and an Edison bulb (I swear, I was a moth in a former life)! We made notebooks for ourselves, which was awesome. We tried making a wooden box (that failed), and we’re working on spray painting plastic lampshades. DIY is a lot of fun, and you learn a lot. Sometimes it can be difficult, especially if you’re not sure exactly what you’re doing, or how to saw a piece of wood (guilty), but it’s a lot of fun.
5. Exercise
Okay, so I didn’t actually do this, but I should have. When you’re stuck in a cast for weeks on end, you gain weight—surprise! I know there’s not a lot of exercising you’re able to do, but ab workouts are always an option, and so are arm exercises, even though you’ll get a lot of those just by crutching around. My mom also told me to do leg lifts to help strengthen the muscles in my broken leg. Also didn’t do that, but should have. I would have been more prepared to walk when I got the cast off. Lesson learned!
6. Mini Adventures
For obvious reasons, I could not go on big adventures this summer. But I was able to go on smaller, less taxing ones. Go on a long drive with really cool lookout places with fantastic views. Go to barbecues, or short walks along flat trails, like the Back Mountain Trail in Dallas, PA. Go for shopping expeditions, even if it’s only to get food for the week. Go out to a nearby lake and watch the sunset. I know it’s not much, and it still might be hard, but it’s better than being a recluse for months.
7. Keep a "Grateful" Journal
Remember how I said I was bummed out a lot? That’s normal, and it’s okay to be miserable some days. You have every right to be—you’re stuck in the monotony of life in a cast. But it’s also good to keep everything in perspective. Someone suggested to me to write down five things every night that I am grateful for. It helped me remember that even though I’m upset about my condition, it is going to get better. It reminded me that as bad as it was, I still had a lot of things in my life to be thankful for. I’m not trying to say “Oh, you have no right to be upset because so many people have it worse.” Honestly, I hate that. That makes it seem like your own emotions are invalid, and they are not. But keeping a grateful journal makes you feel a little better, because it helps you see that everything’s going to be okay.
Hopefully your summers will not be taken over by the difficulties of cast, but in case they are, I hope these survival skills helped!
