I smell.  Not I can smell, which I can, but I have the essence of one who has not showered all week.  Which I haven’t.  Not for lack of time, mind you, but for logistical reasons that involve a dog, a rabbit, the vertical edge of a curb and now, a broken kneecap.  But I am getting ahead of myself.  

Just a mere week ago, I had written a story in my head about my morning routine of vampire swimming and the joy it brings me.  The self professed vampire swimmers are a handful of us who slug to the gym during the four am hour, swim from 5-6 (or later…) and then head home to begin our day of getting kiddos up and to school or to the office before the workday begins.  We arrive when it is pitch black and we leave with the same hue in the sky.  We chat a little, swim hard and look forward to our next swim together.  I don’t know much about any of them other than their first name, and some I don’t even know that much..  We all feel a certain emotional attachment to our lane, even though there is no logic behind the lane position we have.  No matter how many or few are there each morning, we check on each other by checking their lane while underwater by recognizing their stroke and we feel the camaraderie that we crepuscular morning-time paddlers share.  

So waxing poetic on this gift I enjoy several mornings a week, I thought I’d make time to write something about this niche pleasure.  Come to the next morning as I walked our dog and my husband in the wee-predawn hours (okay, confession time.  Wade walks our dog, Bisbee, every morning, I just join him on the mornings I don’t swim.), solving all the world’s problems in a brisk 3 mile jaunt.  Apparently the rabbits in the area also feel this time of the day is most delightful as our little hunter was pulling, sniffing and on the prowl.  As we approached the bridge that crosses the arroyo near our house, Bisbee took off full steam, which meant yours truly as the caboose, followed the pace. Pulling her leash while commanding her to “leave it” was like giving a toddler jell-o and telling them to just watch it wiggle and don’t touch. She was not listening and went ahead with what she wanted to do.  The rabbit ran ahead, the dog pulled harder, and I tried to keep up….until I couldn’t.  The rabbit went left, the dog went hard left, and I did not get the memo.  I continued straight, sailing over the dog as if she were a barrier and collided with the vertical edge of the curb on the bridge.  The nice, angular curb that keeps cars from coming up onto the sidewalk and over the bulwark. The nice, angular, practically indestructible concrete that is not meant to meet bone.  

WIth banged up hands, a wobbly knee and a chagrined dog (minus the incendiary rabbit), we hobbled home.  Now, why do I smell?  

After x-rays and the ortho visit, I was given a full leg brace to be worn 24/7.  I was grateful I could opt for this over the plaster cast, but astonished to feel that this will not budge and my knee cannot bend at all, so it is like having a full cast.  Great for healing, but on my list of things to do prior to this mishap, I had meant to keep up my yoga. (Mari speak: I have needed to work on my flexibility for a while and thought Lent would be a good time to start.)  I do not have the limberness to bend down and put this brace on and off (nor put my shoes and socks on, Wade’s new job after walking the dog each morning).  I cannot shower without someone helping me put my brace back on right away without bending my knee.  So, I am humbly at the mercy of Wade being home when I would like to indulge in lavation. 

It has been a busy week! Wade has been busy, I have been busy.  But it is Friday evening and the week has come to a close…time for me to wash and hopefully return to smelling fresh as a daisy.  

Where is the grace in all of this? For Lent this year, I wanted to strive to be more purposeful in some of the mundane parts of the day. In the cooking and the cleaning, the laundry and just putting things away, I wanted to make the time for counting my blessings and talking to God while I showed my family love in the little things. Sometimes though, with my cycling and vampire swimming, and even a more leisurely dog walk, it was hard to make time for and remain enthusiastic about the prosaic parts of my day.  Lent was going to be my time to slow down a bit and be resolute in appreciation of the gifts He’s given.  I was also going to work on (start back up!) my yoga and clean out my closet from the bottom up.  While this injury prevents me from doing the latter, I certainly do have the time to thank and reflect…and maybe even appreciate the blessing of a shower.