Graduation!

I would definitely give myself points for a BUSY day today and also a few pats on the back for all that I accomplished:

- Pick up donuts for the entire senior class (small school, so we're not talking about a thousand donuts here, but still).

- Go to Medical Center for 7:30 am appointment; leave by 7:50! It took me a while to figure out that the 7:30 appointments are the BEST because there are no appointments before that time, and therefore the 7:30 patient should get in and out.

- Drive home, change into professional garb and actually try and succeed to look "cute" today - skirt and cute knit top. Points for me.

- School, school, school. No actually "teaching" moments today because I gave tests and an in-class essay. Therefore, I should be grading all week long. Fun.

- Physical Therapy from 4:00-5:30 or so.

- TJs.

- Cook dinner - a new pasta dish which was a roaring success and there are leftovers for tomorrow night. Even better!

Despite the fact that this seems to be an ordinary Monday for me, piling on the accomplishments, crossing off one task after another, it was NOT. First of all, Mondays always contain the disaster potential - bad mood, jamming copier, asshole colleagues. So, it's a plus when I encounter none of the above on any given Monday.

So, in addition to a decent mood, a copier that worked like a charm and colleagues that were not overly irritating today, my check-up with the knee surgeon went better than stupendously. He asked me to do things that I have been doing for ages (or the past month) in PT, like squat with one leg as far as possible and then, the really hard task, jump on my left leg. No, I'm not graceful and I need to work on my arm coordination so that it's a natural movement, but I have the strength in my leg to hop around on it. YEAH! So, he asked me what activities I wanted to be doing, and I gave him my list:

- Backpacking and wicked hiking

- Biking (unclipping, maybe even falling down)

- Skiing in the winter

And he said YES, YES and YES! He was also quite surprised (or feigned surprise) at where I am in my recovery, post ACL-surgery (way back in September).

What a way to start off the day!

And I ended the day with my LAST PT APPOINTMENT! Not in a forever sense because I'm not that naive and I know that life happens and that I'm a klutz, but I'm strong enough to fly away from the nest! For my graduation, they gave me a "Catz" T-shirt. While a grey t-shirt with black lettering does not communicate the gravity of a cap and gown, I feel like I really deserve it. After all, I worked hard to 'graduate'!

I know that this seems like such a minor event in the grand course of a person's life, but I almost feel that I have been more conscious of working at this and towards this moment than even finishing graduate school (lame comparison, but whatever). It's been healthy for me on many levels to make this recovery a priority for the academic year, and I hope, I really do hope, that I can remember the importance of a personal goal each year and of working towards it.

Okay, enough deep thoughts.

I'm off to read "The Quiet American" by Graham Greene in bed. Can't wait.