Getting the boot

Whenever I see anyone trudging along the sidewalk or in a building wearing one of those bulky medical boots I always assume they incurred a severe injury while doing something fantastic like mountain climbing or skiing or performing a BMX trick. 

Sadly, that is not at all how I ended up trudging around with a medical boot all my own. I got one because I clumsily tripped over my own feet. My accident didn't even occur in some exotic or far away place. It happened in my parents' backyard. I stepped off their patio, stumbled and then immediately flopped down in the grass to cradle my ankle, which was throbbing in what I assume was rage at my stupidity. 

I spent the rest of the day limping around my house in a manner that reminded me of Igor from the movie, Young Frankenstein. It really grated my nerves that the more I insisted my ankle instantly heal, the more it didn't. 

The next few days a violent purple bruise appeared along the arch of my foot and my ankle joints seemed to disappear from all the swelling. I slapped ziplock  bag after ziplock bag of ice on my foot but nothing really worked. Disgruntled, I went to the doctor's office. They gave me the good news that nothing was broken but the bad news was they carried with them, wrapped in a thick plastic bag, a shiny new medical boot. The thing seemed enormous - like some type of ski boot. With my foot wrapped up layers of padding and secured by thick velcro straps, I felt like an oddity. That boot seemed to shine a giant light beam on my embarrassing blunder. 

People will look at me and ask what happen. I guess they too assume it is a severe injury that I received while doing some awesome. I feel a touch of shame and embarrassment that I can't give them a really good story. It does some with a happy ending, though. After three days of wearing that boot- my foot feels just about recovered!