dangerous places
exhibit a: 1 thumb, 3 stitches, and very poor macro on camera phone. Better this way, though.
I sliced my thumb open at 6:30am two days ago opening a box of sugar with a razor blade. I've never had stitches before. Despite the various injections of anesthestic I received to avoid the pain of being sewn up, I'm kind of glad it happened.
I haven't been able to grab anything with my left hand for the last couple days, nor have i been able to work, but despite these minor inconveniences, I like the fact that i've been able to experience something new. Maybe i'm just terribly bored in concord.
Two of my male coworkers took a look at my stitches and their faces immediately soured. They winced, looked away, and looked at my thumb again. I didn't think my wound was so bad. In fact, i only wished i had a better story to go with it.
I was surprised by their reactions, but wounds seem less painful when they're our own.
I've grown used to my injury. Today, using 9 fingers and two arms, I filled a shopping cart at costco, loaded it onto the conveyor, and into my car. I'm talking two 24-packs of soda, a tray of 18 water bottles, 18 rolls of paper towels, and other stuff like two gallons of milk, a gallon of apple juice, a box of Heineken, and a ton of pasta (not the freeze-dried fare, but the stuffed tortellini in the refrigerated section that weighs 5 lbs. per pack. I bought 5 of them). I bought other stuff, but i only listed the bulkiest goods. I digress. where was i. oh right.
I've grown used to my injury.
The dull and constant pain doesn't bug me much. When my thumb starts throbbing, i raise it above my head almost without thinking. I can text my friends with my working thumb and, now that the left hand thumb is out of commission, my left pointer finger. By the doctor's orders, I can't get my thumb wet, so I wash my hair kneeling outside of the bathtub with my head under the faucet and shampooing with only my right hand.
After a while, none of these adjustments are so bad. It won't be long before I can start washing dishes. It's just a matter of waiting until it no longer hurts to put pressure on the stitches themselves. By then i'll be back in business. making lattes and mochas at your request.
Emotional wounds are not much different. The ache of losing someone is sharply painful at first, but it dulls with time. I make adjustments, i get used to working around the problem, i find ways to nurse the wound. And when my friends wince at my struggle and wonder how I cope, i am amazed because, well, it's just not so bad.
