I would give my left leg for that...

So my initial blase attitude to my knee being just a bit sore and bruised really stepped up a gear this week. I had my first session with my physio on Tuesday night and here i am sitting downtown on Saturday with a flight to Christchurch booked for tomorrow and an MRI scan and an appointment with an Orthopedic surgeon scheduled for Monday morning. All has escalated very quickly...

At the minute, it looks like i may have done both my ACL and PCL ligaments and torn a section of my quad from off my knee, with a compression fracture to boot! All of this from one snowboard fall, it wasn't even a particularly spectacular crash, just had the board wash out from under my me on some ice whilst riding one of the steepish runs at Cardrona. In all honesty i feel real sheepish about causing all this fuss but i have to be honest with myself and admit that it hasn't got any better since i did it, i still can barely walk, and even if it costs an arm and a leg to pay all these bills, i really don't want it to literally cost me a leg.
Having been at work today with it all day today, one of the girls in the ticket office said that she didn't really fancy going out skiing today cos the weather was a bit naff, i now know the true meaning to saying to someone:

"I'd give my left leg for that..."

I guess this has shown me not to take my mobility for granted, there are so many people out there who would kill for the opportunity to hurt themselves snowboarding, because it is something they cannot access, either physically, financially, or geographically. The saying of you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone is really quite apt, i lost my chance to snowboard, but i've also lost the ability to walk, drive, sleep comfortably and be self reliant. But i know that with the help of the doctors and my physio, i can have another shot at chances for those things again, whilst others have to contend with the eternal knowledge that they cannot. From this i have learned about gratitude, i have learned about accepting help, and i have learned about how quickly basic rights can be taken from you. At least mine will be a temporary situation, but certainly one that has shown me a lot about the world around us...

Wanaka in the winter time...

So sitting in Wanaka a week after i took a bail on my snowboard with my knee wrapped up in a Forest Gump style brace, my crutches are leaning dejectedly against the internet cafe window. They seem to be longingly looking up towards the mountains where the powder has been dumped and the lines are there for the taking...
It all began so well, with last weekend being the first worthy dump of the season, it really seemed like we were finally off and the weather was going to keep bringing in the fresh stuff like we all hoped. 4 hours later it was all over, sitting in Ski Patrol base with a cast being put on my leg and a referral for x rays in my hand. Alas as yet, the results are still not back so i don't really know whats going on, except that i cannot ski or ride at the minute. Although i came to NZ for the winter season, i still have a huge amount to take away from here, and today, sitting down in the valley i have time to recall and understand that. The last few weeks i have spent every minute either on the hill for work, or on it for play. I've banked more ride hours so far that some get in an entire season, and I'm still positive to be back out before the season wraps up. With 6weeks to go, i might be out for a while, but hopefully not all. At a time where i thought it would be hard to cope with being so restricted, it has helped to look back through my blog and see where i have come from and where i may go to. This is merely another experience on my journey that i can either mope about and feel sorry for myself over, or something that i can look through, see the positives and relish the fact that i am alive and living, working and breathing in a NZ winter, exactly where i asked to be 18months ago when i decided to go.

Life will flick you these funny turns, but we can get through it, we always do...