Every cloud has a silver lining

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

Everything happens for a reason

 

I used to think that these kinds of sayings were intended to cheer up people in difficult or challenging circumstances, but now I can see that in some cases, they might actually be true. The clouds (metaphorically speaking!) certainly looked dark around us when I first broke my leg. Difficulties abounded – getting me off the boat, access to good medical care in Indonesia, logistics of getting to and from the hospital, getting extended visas for Indonesia and so on. To say nothing about what this injury might mean for longer term function and for our cruising plans. But gradually little bits of silver began shining through, starting with being spoilt by business class treatment from the moment I arrived at Singapore airport to the baggage carousel at Melbourne airport.

The real silver however was time – time to spend with friends and family, and timing –2016 was a significant year in many ways. I got to see our boys, Andrew and Reece, quite often. Andrew was helping me with shopping each week, and once I didn’t need the help any more, it became a semi-regular coffee appointment. Reece visited at least once and sometimes twice each week in between work and hockey training. Speaking of hockey, I was able to go to their games each week during winter, and catch up with the Footscray Hockey Club fraternity. I was able to celebrate their 26^th birthday with them. These everyday things became quite special in the circumstances as they were bonuses that none of us expected to have. Phil also got more time to hang out with his boys during his two visits to Melbourne in 2016. We felt particularly grateful to be home in Melbourne when Reece decided to propose to his girlfriend, Em, so we got to share in that excitement first hand, rather than on the end of a phone line. That is the kind of moment that you can never “catch up” on.

My mother celebrated her 90^th birthday, for which I always intended on coming home. However, being in Australia in the lead up to it meant I could be more involved in the planning. I also had plenty of time to spend on the book of memories that I put together- that was a project which took a solid few weeks to complete.

I was on hand to support our friend Leonie in the lead up to the first anniversary of her husband’s (David) death and the subsequent months. We also continued our tradition of our two families (now extended with our childrens’ partners) getting together for a meal on a semi-regular basis. I was also on hand to help out both our parents during illness and injury recovery. My mother had a nasty fall and my step-father contracted a chest infection, so there were a couple of trips to Queensland, which also meant catching up with my brother and sister-in-law. Phil’s dad, who lives in country Victoria, suffered a sudden deterioration from his melanoma during a routine check up visit to a Melbourne hospital and was admitted, so I was able to help his mother through that. By the time that Phil was back for his second visit, his Dad was in the last few weeks of his life, and so Phil got to spend some time with him, and his mother and brothers, and we were able to stay with his mother for the final days, were on hand for all the funeral preparation, and then for a couple of weeks after the funeral. While that was naturally a difficult time, it was a gift to be in Australia rather than having to be hurriedly packing up the boat and rushing back.

There were lots of coffees, lunches, dinners and movies with various friends, cruising group meetings at our yacht club, and other social occasions. I also joined a community choir which is something I’ve wanted to do for ages and I loved every minute of it, including a few Christmas carol performances. I treasured being able to spend time with my friend Gayle each week when she looked after her new granddaughter, Anna, who is the cutest little button. Towards the end of the year, Phil and I were able to enjoy a short road trip up to the Jenolan Caves, then onto Sydney for my brother’s birthday, and to Port Stephens to visit some friends. Unfortunately, the return leg of that trip was marred by me having to recover from surgery due to a ruptured appendix. If that was going to happen, I’m sure glad I was in Australia! Phil and I were also home for the big Shand Christmas which happens every two years.

But there is no silver lining without the cloud. The rehabilitation road was long and tedious and required constant commitment to daily exercises to recover leg function, and to diet to give my bones the best chance of healing. I was not allowed to put any weight on my leg for quite a few months, so was using crutches. I graduated to some weight bearing, and then full weight bearing on crutches. By March (nearly five months post fracture), I was able to give up the crutches and walk normally. Still, despondency visited from time to time. It was hard being separated from Phil for several months at a time, and there were times it felt like my leg was never going to get better. I worried about how things would go when I got back to the boat. Would I be nervous about the stairs? How would I get in and out of the dinghy? Would my sailing skills (such that they were) be rusty?

Then suddenly it was all over – in the six months between June and December, my leg healed completely, and my doctor told me I could do whatever I wanted! I had anticipated that the December x-ray would show good progress, but I didn’t expect that I would get the full green light. After 13 months of waiting, hurried preparations were made for me to obtain an Indian visa, and get our Australian affairs in order, so I could sail to the Andaman Islands with Phil in early 2017. It was very hard to leave family and friends behind again, especially as that year or so at home made me treasure being around them all so much more.

A silver lining for every cloud – I’m not sure about that, but I was certainly able to enjoy the silver lining of this cloud.