A sprain in the ass

I trucked the kids off in the bike trailer this morning to the park. Our local city park, Greenboro, has a great wading pool and sprinkler plus a decent playground. The library and community centre are right there making it a childhood (and tired mother's) mecca. We're there a lot.

I dismounted the bike, had Hope in one arm, our bag of gear in the other, Emily tagging along. I took one step and my ankle rolled off the paved path and into the soft sand beside it. The distinct crack I heard told me there was likely a torn ligament. Me hitting the ground like a bag of wet cement told me that I was going to have a shitty time at the pool today. I do credit myself however for hanging onto Hope as well as I did. She held on and giggled thinking my wincing and yelping was part of a new game.

As I gasped in pain, holding Hope and trying to answer Emily's questions, I flagged a lifeguard who brought me some ice packs. As I was on City of Ottawa property, the (very) young male lifeguard had to do an incident report. He asked my age. "Thirty-five," I said. "Oh," he said, "I would have said twenty-five. " Flattery will totally get you everywhere. I truly believe this boy deserves a raise.

The lifeguards propped me up in a couple of lounge chairs with my foot elevated. They were great. We girls ate our snack. Not wanting Emily to miss out on her swim, I changed them (somehow from my chair) and then painfully hobbled over to the shallow area where I plopped down Hope and prayed that Emily would listen and stay close. She did. I actually couldn't have had a better behaved toddler this morning. She did everything I asked, she played in the water without me with no complaints, she helped me carry things and even got ready to go home with no crying.

I'm so glad I biked there this morning. I was able to bike back without too much discomfort. I wouldn't have been able to walk back. I would have had to take Mr. Lifeguard up on his offer to piggy back me home.

The sprained ankle sucks but I'm choosing to look at it from a different angle - this gives me an excuse to sit on my ass and be pampered for a bit.

We're off to the cottage again tomorrow with some good friends, Meredith, Ron, and their kids, Ella and Duncan. More hands to fetch my drinks and fluff my pillows.

I think the ice did help at the pool. Here is the swelling I've got now. Left is bad ankle, right is normal ankle (I guess that was kind of obvious) - no comments about my skinny, bony feet, please - they keep me upright, well, most of the time: