Asking for help is contrary to our culture and our modern society. As a woman, I can struggle with pride and the whispering voices telling me "I must be self-sufficient". Imagine my horror as I found myself hopelessly tangled in my own underwear.
There I was standing alone in the bathroom. My dominant arm neatly bound in a cast and locked at a right angle. I had successfully completed the complicated effort of showering and I now tackled the new skill of getting dressed one-handed. I had facilitated this "season" of healing by investing in tank tops with built-in bras, since I refused to ask anyone for help fastening my traditional undergarments.
This was a brilliant solution to living without my very dominant right arm. Or so I thought.
I managed to get said tank top over my bad arm and slipped my head through the neck opening.
Honestly I don't know what went wrong.
In the blink of an eye my top had come to life and captured my only good arm- trapping me helplessly in my own "solution" to maintaining independence.
I hollered for help from my husband (who made matters worse by finding my predicament not only amusing, but irresistible as well).
In less than a minute I was freed from my own shirt and as angry as a disturbed wasps nest. My husband smiled, told me he loved me and wisely left me to relish the fruit of my efforts to maintain my self-sufficiency. Stupid me.
Lesson learned: it's best to see myself as I really am. Right now, I am temporarily disabled, yet surrounded by a family who is more than willing to help me through this time. The truth is that it takes humility to ask for and accept assistance. But considering the humiliating alternative, I will be much quicker to let others come alongside.
Life is funny. One day we walk around in full health and strength. Without warning we can find ourselves on our backs, stuck in bed, or bound by a sling. We can choose to go it alone and wind up like me- mummy wrapped and trapped by our own underwear. Or, we can recognize we are not perfect and ask for and accept help when necessary.
Learn from my mistake. Ask for help. Smile when it comes. Look for opportunities to assist others. And for Petes sake don't try to put on an athletic style shirt unless you have use of both hands!
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