This has been a tough week in Recovery Land. My six week x-ray is quickly approaching. I'm feeling both anxious and hopeful about that. I've also been feeling cooped up, frustrated and in low spirits. I had mastered being stuck in the house during pandemic times. At least I had regular rides with friends to look forward to. This is a whole new level of being stuck in the house that I haven't figured out, nor do I really want to if I'm honest. I have no idea what to expect in the coming weeks in terms of what I will and won't be able to do.
It seems that at least several times so far during this process, someone has come along and said just the thing I needed to hear at that time. Recently, in a text exchange, Rachel said to me "you have so many firsts to look forward to!" What a helpful way to re-frame things. As a person who has had several injuries herself, she gets that the ups and downs are inevitable. So, I have in moments of taking pity on myself, tried to halt that line of thinking and either reflect on a recent first I've had, or ponder the next one I will be experiencing. I'm finding this conducive to the emotional aspect of healing. It's essential to have things to look forward to. More importantly, it helps to feel like I'm accomplishing something rather than fixate on all the things I am currently unable to do.
Recently I went for my first walk outside alone with one crutch. It was slow and short, but exhilarating. I have done others since. The next first I am aware of will occur on May 8. I think I've mentioned that I've abstained from drinking any cocktails during my recovery process. This is for many reasons. For one, I'd like to focus on proper nutrition to keep my bone healing on track. Secondly, given my lack of activity, I don't need the extra calories. But, most importantly, I'd like to remain stable and not risk any other kind of fall! May 8th will be the day I become "fully baked" from my second vaccination and I think this is cause to celebrate. I will raise a glass to honor this moment in my personal pandemic experience.
Now, the all important question. Which cocktail do I have on this momentous occasion? It may be the only one I have for another chunk of time, so I need to make it good. Do I go with an old standby? A Paper Plane? A Last Word? A martini? Or do I choose from one of the drinks I've been bookmarking to try in the future? I have time to think about this, but one of the deciding factors will be whether it lends itself well to one of the dehydrated citrus wheels I made yesterday. (I just realized this was also a first. The first time I've played in the kitchen since this happened.) I'm so excited to use these. Some of them are so pretty and I think the aesthetics will elevate the drinking experience!
Dried Citrus Wheels
1. Heat oven to 200 degrees. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Slice the fruit thin. Somewhere between 1/8 to 1/4". I used lemon, lime, orange, blood orange, cara cara navel.
3. Lay in single layers on lined baking sheets. Put in oven. Flip each slice over after 2 hours.
4. Lemons and limes take about 3-4 hours. Oranges about 6 hours. You want them to be brittle, with no moisture left in them.
5. Store in an airtight container in your fridge. They should last quite a while. (I read up to a year.)
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