With a Little Help from My Friends

I continue to heal slowly, but it does look like it's healing. I have two weeks to go before I see the doctor again, so I'm still bandaged up every day. I'm assuming that most strangers who see me think that I've had a nose job. I'm almost to the point of not caring. I did say "almost," didn't I? It's still about 6-8 weeks of this to go, and it's a gradual process, but the old attitude is slowly returning.

The three weeks since my surgery have been a time for appreciating just how wonderful my friends are. I've had such sympathy from them, and they've all been so caring and giving. It's pretty humbling. A few of the most memorable moments:

• Hugs from people like C and G. Those hugs make me feel so much better. You think that people will just find you ugly or strange, and then someone you love puts her (in these two cases) arms around you. It's pretty remarkable how good that feels.
• N, who's been suffering with foot problems for a long time and who was wearing the equivalent of a cast, going to buy me something to eat in the cafeteria. I was still in too much shock the first day back to dare set foot in a public place like that. She hobbled all the way there and back, and it was the best tasting food I've had in a long time.
• Speaking of food, my friend P stopped by on the Friday of the week of Spring Break, the day I had my first return visit to the doctor, actually. I had mentioned earlier in the week that I was going to have to venture out to buy some milk and bread. He showed up at my door with two bags of groceries just so I could have a little more time to adjust to wearing the bandages.
• Other people, like J and P, sharing their own experiences with this kind of surgery. They just want me to know what to expect, and they have put my mind at ease so many times the past few weeks. They've been a true blessing.

I'll be the first to admit that I've cried more than a few times in the past three weeks, but several of those times have been tears of happiness. As unlucky as I've felt at times, I've also been thinking how very lucky I truly am.