I get funny looks here in the rehab centre. Not cos of my hair - after 5 weeks they’ve got over that!! (Although hopefully it'll be back to nuclear pink on Sunday, so I'm sure to get some looks then
)
It’s cos I’m so happy when something good happens/when my progress is very obvious
On Tuesday afternoon I did some little (one legged) dances as I managed to do some walking at the parallel bars for the first time leaning just a bit on my left arm
, made everyone else in the physio room laugh, so cheered them up too
Well, TBF they all looked at me like I was mad the first couple of times, when I realised they didn't understand the dance (ok, a bit of a wiggle!) I said "je peux marcher, je peux marcher" and then they all nodded and grinned. And started laughing as I did about 8 'lengths' of the bars and had a little cheer and wiggle/dance at the end of each 'length'
It is weird tho, so few people seem to celebrate the little wins here in rehab. And I think it's so important - mentally at the very least!
Often I see someone that I know by sight (from the canteen) and they’ve started using crutches or someone who’s been in a wheelchair due to an amputation and they are walking with a prosthesis and crutches for the first time or I've only seen them do it once or twice before, so I do a little ‘yay, c’est très très bien, super’ and grin (ok behind a mask, but I know my eyes smile too) and a kind of cheer by raising my arms (well, one!) a bit as if I was standing cheering!! People always look really surprised but once over the shock they nod and smile back. The therapists often giggle a bit
Not sure why more people don’t do the same! Surely it’s awesome to see a fellow patient progress so much
Anyway, I’ll keep doing it cos it makes people smile!! It makes me happy too
But it’s a shame it surprises people so much!!