Injured Musings

So I sprained my ankle this morning. As I was sitting in the wet grass and clutching my ankle, many different thoughts ran through my head. Some of them are not fit for print. Here's what I CAN share.

How am I going to take my dogs out if I need crutches? They are small, but they are crazy on the leash. It's partly their fault I twisted my ankle in the first place. What in the world am I going to do with and about them if I am seriously injured?

How am I going to pay for this? I can JUST BARELY afford the up front fee at Urgent Care (I don't have insurance); if I need X-Rays or something, I'll need to borrow money from my mom. I did apply for a credit card for emergencies such as this, but it hasn't come in the mail yet. Go figure.

How am I going to pay my bills if I can't work? Some parts of my job I can do while sitting, other things...not so much. And again, I'm broke, what do I do if I miss a big chunk of work? I don't get any paid time off; if I can't work, I can't make money.

I'M REALLY GLAD I LIVE ON THE FIRST FLOOR.

How am I going to get myself and my dogs inside? Luckily I had my phone in my pocket, so worse come to worst, I could call my mom and have her help me back inside. (Fortunately, one of my neighbors came outside to smoke and offered to help me. I could put JUST enough weight on my ankle to hobble home if she could manage my psycho mutts. I felt REALLY bad that they were leaving wet paw prints all over her beige linen pants, but what could I do?)

I'm SO glad I'm finally getting serious about writing. As a writer, I could injure my legs or back and still be able to work and make money. Yes, an arm injury would suck, but even one free hand could write, it would just take longer.

I really wish I had insurance. What am I going to do if I need surgery? It's only been a couple years since my bankruptcy; if I rack up hospital bills now, I can't do another bankruptcy for about eight years. I'd be so screwed.

I seriously need to do some training with my dogs. This is getting ridiculous. I shouldn't have to change direction every time we see another dog or human. And Hailey needs to stop forgetting to poop.

Am I going to be able to drive with an injured clutch ankle? I really would like a better car someday. This one is infinitely better than what I drove last summer, though, and it is (mostly) reliable. So it's fine. Unless I can't use the clutch. Then it's not fine.

I'M SO GLAD I LIVE SO CLOSE TO MY MOM AND SHE DOESN'T HAVE AN OFFICE JOB.

I lean on my mom a lot under normal circumstances, but in a situation like this...at least I knew I could get a ride to Urgent Care and help paying for things if necessary. Thanks Mom!

Luckily most of these thoughts became moot points. The up front fee was $120, but they didn't need to do X-Rays or anything, which is good. I don't even have to miss work if I'm up to it and can sit as much as possible.

So I'm relieved, although I do still need to consider my money fears. My financial situation right now is not good. Right now, I'm treating my writing as a part-time job; do I need to find a part-time job that pays now rather than later? I just don't know.

Well, thanks for listening to my ramblings, I'll try to post something happier later today.