Since my last game of football, 11 August 2015 and subsequent spell on the bench, it's getting close to my little life getting back to near normality.
What with social/health/media commitments up till next Wednesday, today is (hopefully) the last time that Mrs H asks me what I plan to do with my day and all I can do is shrug my shoulders (good and bad) and tell her that I don't really know.
I hate (hate? dislike intensely) wasting time. Being creative within the limitations imposed on me has been very difficult. There's so much I'd like to do, need to do, have to do and as my shoulder slowly recovers, I am more able to do, that any down time is, to me, an opportunity missed.
I know that when I look back on the past 6 months I'll wonder what the heck I did with all this time away from work. Truth is, specially before Christmas and before the op, I was genuinely not feeling well enough to consider more constructive ways of filling my days. Lack of sleep, constant pain and some whacky pain relief led to little motivation and while I really enjoyed lengthy, slow walks along the coast and round the countryside closer to home, it was hardly "challenging". Now , as I build myself back up from the operation and with a renewed spring in my step, I can look forwards to more fulfilling days - albeit at the behest of my paymasters.
I'm kind of assuming I'll be given the green light to resume making lovely maps when I see my physio and doctor in the next few days. Recovery from surgery has gone well though I still gave quite restricted movement and very little strength in my right arm. I keep getting the sense of 3 steps forwards/2 steps back. I can run but I can't ride my bike, I can drive my car but I can't swim, I can scratch my nose but not the top of my head.
Given a choice, it's not been the career break I would have chosen. I think I could quite happily fulfill my time given good health, just enough money and lovely Norfolk without ever having to work again, but then again, I guess everyone could do that.
