January 13th, 2021
It’s 7am and I just woke up to move my car for my mom so she can go to work. I put on a sweatshirt and boots before grabbing my keys. My dad had called us before to say that the driveway was covered with black ice so we should be careful. I went down the stairs trying to be as careful as possible and before I knew it, I slipped. I was in a lot of pain so my mom had to take me to the emergency room. The doctors there told me I had managed to land all of my weight on my left ankle and break it in three places. This meant I needed surgery that I wouldn’t be able to get until twelve days later
Present
I wasn’t able to move back into my dorm at Oswego because of this. That meant that I would have to live at home with my parents and my younger brother while doing all of my classwork online. Granted my classes were all online to begin with, but being at home with all of my family isn’t the environment I was planning on. On top of this we’re still in a pandemic meaning that there isn’t a lot to do in general and even less when you can’t walk all that well. Being trapped inside with limited mobility for weeks at a time has made me learn a lot of things that have helped me to cope with my current situation.
Firstly, the “brightside” or “silver lining” may be hard to find but I promise it’s there. For example, I don’t get to see my friends I have at school, but I do get to hang out with one of my best friends from high school. The little things have more impact than they would in a normal situation, so try to think of the good things instead of the bad.
Second, living in the 21st century is the biggest upside. If I had broken my leg while in college 30 years ago I might not have been able to continue school if I had to stay home. Also, the Internet makes it so I can still talk to my friends at school and see them even from over two hundred miles away.
Last but not least, remembering that while there are things that can be huge roadblocks in our lives, like breaking your ankle or a global pandemic, it’s not the end of the world. When I realized I had to stay home, I cried a lot and was really upset that I couldn’t go back to school. While I’m still upset that I didn’t get to return to college, I know I’ll get to go back in the fall.
I know it’s hard to do but no matter if you’re just struggling with school or a bigger issue, try to remember that it’ll get better. Rely on your friends, and if it makes a kind of funny story, write an article about it as a learning experience like I did!