I may have broken my foot, but it has not slowed me down. I've been busy accomplishing goals in other areas of my life and creating new projects and finishing existing projects. Life is good!

Here's a progress report on my foot. I'm having a great recovery. I been relatively pain free. I have not had to use much pain medication. I was able to progress from hard cast to soft boot after just over week post-surgery. Dr. Stark seemed to be very please with my progress at my post-op visit. He says I'll be able to swim in about another week--Hooray! Of course, I'll be swimming arms only with a pull buoy and definitely no flip turns. I'm just excited to be able to get back in the water. I'll also do some deep water running.

I have been working out since the day after surgery. Nearly every morning you'll find me in the gym lifting weights. I've been very surprised at the attention I get when I go to the gym every day--people seem to be absolutely shocked that I'm there with a broken foot. It is as if they think that a broken foot equals a broken body and a broken spirit. I guess that is just the mentality of the masses and thank goodness I am not one of them. I have always made decisions in my life that set me apart from the masses and for that I am forever grateful. Why do I get up early every morning, hobble around my house on crutches, struggle to get myself dressed/undressed, hobble out the door, and carefully pull myself up into my truck to drive to the gym to do a difficult workout of weights and core balance/conditioning? Because I have a dream, a vision, a goal! I have a dream of winning a national championship. I have a dream of winning a world championship. I have a dream of winning an Olympic Gold Medal! I visualize the reality everyday; I affirm that reality to myself everyday. Thus, I take the actions everyday that move me in the direction of my goals. Everynight I go to sleep in peace knowing that I have lived this day in integrity with who I've chosen to be -- an Olympic Gold Medalist.

Some of the emotions I've experienced over the past couple of weeks. I think I've only cried once, maybe twice. Not because of pain, but because of frustration with not being able to do what I'm used to doing--I was at the gym and was having a rough morning after not sleeping well the night before. I was having a difficult time getting my exercise station set up and one of the trainers asked if I would like some assistance. Things just weren't working how I wanted them too and I just broke down and sobbed right there in the gym. That is not like me at all. I am grateful for the kind-hearted trainers who were there to encourage and assist me and after a couple of minutes I dried my eyes and had a great workout. I remember the shock of seeing my leg for the first time after the cast was removed--I no longer had a calf muscle! For anyone who has seen my legs you know I've got some significant muscle. Thank goodness for muscle memory. Even though I haven't been able to work my calf muscle much--it is already starting to come back. The other thing that has been shocking is how fast the weight can start to accumulate and the body shape can start to change. Relatively speaking I'm still in great shape. Despite cutting back on my caloric intake, without being able to run, swim, bike, etc I'm not as lean as I was a few weeks ago. I've chosen not to let that bother me like it would have in the past, I know that this is only a temporary inconvenience and that once I am able to phase into my cardio workouts in addition to my weight training--my lean, athletic physique will return.

I just got my stitches out this week. Almost all of the swelling in my foot is gone. There is still a definite lump on the side of my foot--maybe it will always be there? My toes and heel are still a little bruised. My range of motion is improving every day. There was definite nerve damage in my foot and toes, so I massage my foot daily with essential oils and send my foot healing, love energy.

I have increased my dosage of Noni juice, as well as my Juice Plus whole food nutrition supplements. I am making sure I get plenty of high quality protein for rebuilding, as well as calcium for bone growth/repair.

Here in Nashville the leaves on the trees are all shades of orange and red--it is absolutely gorgeous. I realized today that I'm spending far too much time indoors since the accident. This weekend, I plan to take my laptop, my books, my journal, and drive to one of my favorite places -- Percy Warner park, where I can sit out on the grass and enjoy the beautiful world in which I live.