The good news is that my foot is healing well. The less good news is that I'm still dreaming of two matching shoes. This is my status quo...
One sneaker and one surgical shoe eagerly eye winter boots...
...and a vast assortment of shoes.
Right now two matching shoes are fourteen days away and that stretches like eternity. But when I think about fourteen days as the mature, rational being that I am, fourteen days is a blink, especially when I remember the lesson of my braces.
It's Hartford, 1965. I'd gone from having the worst buck teeth in New England to perfect teeth. This miracle occurred by the wonder of modern orthodontia. I wore braces for four years and a retainer for one year at night. My parents had gone without to make this happen and I knew I was lucky, but I wasn't especially grateful. I couldn't wait for the day when I no longer had to wear my retainer, and I'm sure I complained bitterly about it.
Dr. Freeman, my orthodontist strongly recommended that I wear the retainer through high school, three endless years. I'm sure I was hysterical at the thought and I'm sure my mother was tired of listening to my histrionics. I stopped wearing my retainer and was thrilled about it. Fast forward four decades and my perfect teeth are no longer perfect. There has been a small, but obvious shift. I'll never know if there's a connection to my retainer or if teeth just shift, but if I had listened to Dr. Freeman. I might have avoided it.
Remembering the lesson of my braces and so many other issues when I didn't take expert or simply sensible advice, I am wearing my surgical shoe and being grateful for my thoughtful, conservative orthopedist. I really do trust his judgement and at 63 I am worried about possible long-term issues. But I still would love to get back to exercise class with two matching sneakers. One day...
Is there advice that you wish you had taken?
As always, thanks for visiting. Please stop by later today for another trip to the Buttercupland Fair. We've got a big treat there. I hope you're enjoying the autumn and take good care of yourself. Sweet dreams!
