Spend Some Time Creating: Figuring Out How to Create Without a Finger

Now, if you read the title and are wondering if I have a recently lost a body part, relax. I haven't, but I did break a finger - well...I didn't break it - it was broken for me - on Wednesday. Gotta love my Wednesdays, right? Egad!

Anyway.

It was confirmed that the ring finger on my left hand is fractured...again...in a different place this time. I currently have six weeks of splinting and limited use of my left hand in front of me. This is a problem for me because 1) I am left-handed and cannot hold a writing utensil easily, and 2) every single thing I do for relaxation and leisure requires the use of my left hand - writing, drawing, crocheting, playing my guitar/keyboard/ukulele, making books, hand stitching... every - single - thing.

So, how do I create when I cannot do what I do for creative expression? Ugh.

Fortunately, I have been through this before, so I have some experience with not being able to use my hand. The last time a client broke my hand, I had tendon damage to my middle finger and a fracture on my ring finger (the currently broken finger), so things are a little bit different, but not too different from 2020.

Now would be a good time to revisit some of the posts I wrote back then - I might do that tomorrow rather than using my random number generator. It would be a good way to find some situations and ideas for all of this.

My mom is going to have to do the same thing for the next several days. She has to keep her non-dominant hand still and much of what she does to relax is hand-intensive. She is able to use her dominant hand, though, so she can do some puzzles and her gaming (Solitaire is her game choice - all the different ways to play Solitaire!) She has a couple of days to rest and be completely lazy. It will be difficult for her. Gardening and crocheting and sewing are out for a bit.

I was a bit cowardly on Wednesday and did not tell my sister or my mother about my finger injury because they were going through some unexpected medical issues of their own. I told my sister on Thursday, and as expected, she told my mom, so they both had plenty to say yesterday when we spoke before Mom's test.

I am a bit disgusted with the fact that I am breaking fingers and toes easily these days. I seem to be chipping away at every opportunity, and I don't like it. My doctor doesn't either, so I am sure that there will be many tests in my future. Blech.

Speaking of tests, I am going to get my first mammogram today. It has been on my list to do this year, and my hospital sent me an email letting me know that they were going to have a Saturday option this weekend, so I signed up. My test is in about 2 and a half hours, so I am resisting the urge to leave now and sit in the parking lot for that amount of time. There is no reason that I have to be 2 hours early for this examination.

Oh, dear. The power just flickered off and then back on again.  That, of course, meant that everything turned off and had to be turned on again. Then, I had to wait for the modem to start up again before everything would work again. Ah - the joys of living in a technology age. Blech. I had to kill a brown recluse spider who was hanging out by the modem. Look at that - non-technology is always there. An allegory, perhaps?

Anyway, back to other thoughts and themes. For the next six weeks, I am splinted and restricted and because of that, I am seeking other ways to be creative. I can type a bit - it is difficult because I can't use my ring finger, so touch typing is out - I have to watch my fingers now, and I keep hitting the caps lock button with my pinky and missing the "a" key. I may do more with the photos that I have taken recently. I could do some digital scrapbooking and some physical scrapbooking without writing or drawing. My printer may get some more work this month than last month.

No cutting so making physical file folders is out as well! Six weeks! Ugh.

So, to recap - no using my left hand for a long time before working on strengthening the atrophied muscles at the end of all of this.

I already miss playing my guitar.

There is still an hour before I can reasonably leave for my appointment, so here is a bit more nattering...

I have to cancel and reschedule an appointment for my furnace to accommodate the need to go back to the doctor next Friday. I already have an eye doctor appointment next Friday, but there are three hours between that appointment and the other, but I don't think I can be available enough for the furnace evaluation to happen. I cannot guarantee that I will be available for the five hour window that they need. So, that needs to be rescheduled, and I will probably have to take a personal day for that appointment which is what I was trying to avoid by scheduling the check for my one day off this month, but now things are more complicated - of course.

So, that goes on my to-do list - reschedule the furnace appointment and ask for a personal day to accommodate that change...

I might do some more paint pouring over the next six weeks. That will not really use my ring finger very much, and it might be something fun. We will see what comes out of this situation. Right now, I am stuck in "poor me" mode, but I will come out of it and find new ways to express myself.

Now...it is time to pace until I can leave my home at a reasonable time. I have to also get my prescriptions from the pharmacy. I might also look for some cheap frozen burritos - that sounds good. I have a pharmacy where I can find cheap frozen burritos...

This is not helping me, so it is time to do something more. See you all tomorrow.