Time of My Life

Bruised, but not broken

I am old…this realization is not because my next birthday is in less than a week, nor is it because I will no longer be the youngest on staff after next Monday, nor is it because my little baby brother is leaving for college in a few months…no this is because I can no longer walk upright. Yep, you read correctly. I cannot walk.

Well, I guess that I should start at the beginning….back in the day, this old girl had some skillz…in softball that is. She could catch, throw, bat, and on a once in a while occasion run. Okay, so you’re right, it was more of a waddle, but when Babe Ruth rounded the bases, did you can his “jog” a waddle. I think not, so there for, I did not waddle! :) Not that I’m considering my former self as the female version of the Babe, but I was just using the analogy.

Anyways back to the story…the firm has a softball team…and it has been 6 months now that I have worked at the firm, and there has been 6 months of excuses of why I haven’t played yet with the team…because for some reason, to my dismay, someone told them that I’ve played before. Well on Tuesday, my excuses had run out, and I was informed that I would be playing come Thursday at 6:30 and 7:30 with the GDD Bulldogs. So before the game on Thursday, I ran to Target, pick up a pair of shorts because it was hotter then all get out, I drove to the fields and began to stretch out.

*Now please note, the last time that I played ball was with Amanda Sue for the church league and it was only a few games.*

So right, I’m stretching out, there are 2 other players there and when another girl showed up, she informed me, that she didn’t feel like throwing the ball around because she didn’t “need” to…so when the other girl finished her dinner we threw the ball once before I threw it over the fence. (See, great start.) So by the time that I had waddled back to the field, the ump called out “Play Ball” and the Bulldogs had begun to take the field. So I went out to left-center and was ready to play, they made a few runs, then we were up to bat, I got on base and the next girl after me got out ending the first inning. So, we took the field to begin the second, I got my glove and went yogging (yes, yogging, it’s a silent “j”) out to my position, when POP! I’m on the ground holding my ankle. So before anyone can notice that I’m on the ground, I jump back up and go limping out into the outfield.

When the longest inning ever played was finally over, I got to sit and rub my ankle for maybe 3 minutes before all 3 batters were out. So I grabbed my glove again and gingerly went back out onto the field. I looked back to talk to the 2nd baseman and POP! The same darn ankle, and I eat it on my way down to the grass. This time, I sat for a few seconds before getting up and walking out to my position…because you see, I’m a trooper and stubborn, and I didn’t want my teammates to have to suffer because I was a gimp. So of course, the first male up there hit it directly to ME. I fielded the ball, and threw the jerk out and second. Long after that, the third inning was over. The game soon there ended in a loss of 8-5. The ankle hurt, but I was ready for Game 2.

So Game 2 was going okay, despite the fact that we didn’t have one single run on the board, I hit the ball a few times, got onto base again, when I found myself back out in center field covering a co-worker of mine when a pop-up was hit to him. When all of a sudden I felt a swift blow, low popping (notice the plural) noises and was on my ass in the grass holding my other ankle. Yes, my OTHER ankle. This time I did not jump up, or move; and all I could hear was Tom Hanks voice in my head screaming, “THERE’S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!!” Before I knew it there were 2 boys standing around me asking if I needed help up, and if they could help me…and blah blah blah…and what does my pride answer back with!?!?! “NO! I can do it myself thank you very much!” (can you believe it, 2 not too bad looking guys, offering to help me across the field, and my response is…no?!?! Prideful maybe? So long story short, by 9 pm, both of my feet are in ice buckets and by 10pm both of my ankles are throbbing in some old ace bandages. I probably should have gone to the hospital, due to the fact that both of my ankles are swollen beyond recognition, but once again, pride…I didn’t want to miss out on one day at work! So fast forward to now….I’m sitting at a client’s (sham sham for typing this up at work) with both feet propped up on my audit bag, wearing a pair of my mother’s shoes with white socks on (Due to the fact that of my 1,000,000 pairs of shoes, not one was heal-less, (sans flip-flops), doped up on Ibuprofen, praying for the day to end!!! And to top that off, I had to cancel my DATE!! (Now granted, my date was truly me going to see my personal trainer, but really…he is a hot man…I hope that we can reschedule!) So that is why I AM OLD. I cannot believe that I sprained BOTH ankles!! How do you do that???…BOTH ANKLES….but such is my life. So, does anyone have any working remedies for bad ankles???

Ranking 6-7 on the pain scale and 8-9 on the lost pride one,
Melinda

posted by Melinda @ 2:57 PM