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What a year 2024 was for me! I moved to Chattanooga to be closer to my daughter and her growing family (aka grandkids!) What I didn't expect was the upheaval it created a long the way.
In October 2024, I sold my Knoxville home and intended to take a nice sabbatical from my business. You know, the reconnect with your soul type, one that involved prayer, family time and yoga retreats in tropical locations. Time to reflect on what I wanted to do with my remaining life, and understanding what makes me tick. This idea was hatched when I contemplated what decisions would I make if I only had 6 months to live - a morbid but inspiring idea to let go of those things that weren't serving me or the world. Moving to Chattanooga was the loud and clear message, and spending time with family was the motivator. Thinking about my own grandmother's death 2 years ago, I realized that I wanted my grandkids to have memories of me like I did of my own grandma. You know, things like seeing Herbie goes to Monte Carlo at the movie theater, playing Kings in the Corner with pennies (gotta teach the young kids gambling in my family) and puking in a trash can while watching soap operas as she cared for me when I had chicken pox.
Here was what I thought I would be doing:
Drive to Michigan, and spend a week at my Dad's house watching his dog Lilly.
Drive to Yogaville, spend a week volunteering and doing yoga, meditation, and eating healthy vegetarian food.
Drive to South Carolina to Mepkin Abbey for a silent retreat.
Meet my son in Summerville, SC and spend a couple of days with him.
Stop by the shrine of Our Lady of La Leche in St. Augustine, FL on the way to see my mom in Hudson, FL.
Fly from Tampa to the Bahamas to stay for 10 days at the Sivananda Ashram for yoga, meditation, sunshine and healthy vegetarian food.
Return to Florida to drive back to Chattanooga to close on my new home.
Celebrate with my daughter at a retreat at the Benedictine Sisters Monastery in Alabama.
What actually happened was completely different than planned! I did get to Michigan and spent time with my family. It was wonderful to connect with my aunt and cousins who I haven't seen much since I moved away from Michigan over 30 years ago. I got to watch my cousin Beckey play soccer, and realize that she is a resilient, tough woman. I spent Halloween with the cousins, walking the neighborhood with their kids, and realizing what big open hearts my cousin Jeff and his wife Christa have. My aunt and I went out for her birthday and seeing how close she is with her grandkids helped me see how wise my decision to move to Chattanooga really is. My dad and I got to experience Eastern Market, which he had not been to since his wife passed away. And no trip to Michigan would be complete without time spent with my sister, where we walked around Ann Arbor, and had lunch which included a margarita. Taking care of a dog for a week, no matter how cute and adorable she was, did make me grateful I do not have an animal of my own to care for.
On to Yogaville I went! A long drive, and I arrived late Sunday evening in time for dinner. My next morning was free so I popped into the library and found a book called The Path of Least Resistance by Robert Fritz. I am one of those people who finds books by walking down aisles and scanning shelves until a book jumps out at
me. It is a spiritual thing - it doesn't actually jump off the shelf but it does magically catch my eye. I volunteered in the kitchen later that day, and then took a Hatha yoga class in the evening. As I was leaving the yoga class, I was contemplating why there were yellow caution stripes on the stairs. The next few moments are a blur as I slipped on the stairs, and came to halt with my ankle in a weird position. This is the moment in which all plans changed. Even getting down the rest of the stairs was an ordeal, let alone getting back to my 2nd floor dorm room that did not have an elevator.
The next 24 hours were a lesson in finding the path of least resistance.
What was the easiest way to use the crutches to get to the bathroom? There is none - it is painful, and difficult especially on potential wet floors with no grab bars.
How do I get down or up stairs? On my bum, seated, but getting up and down off the floor proved to be the hardest part throughout my injury.
How do I get to my car across the parking lot when on crutches with no more energy due to going down two flights of stairs alone? God sends angels when we need them and one showed up and drove me to my car.
Who should I see to get my ankle x-rayed? I made a telehealth appointment to a free service through my health share ministry who told me to go straight to orthopedic and skip urgent care. Locals suggested I go to Charlottesville but I was getting a lot of resistance in scheduling an appointment, so the walk-in clinic in Farmville was an easier choice. BTW, Yogaville is an hour from any medical facilities so this was a huge problem for getting care.
Who is going to take me to Farmville? Well, this was a least resistance response - I took myself. In hindsight, I should have been driven by someone because navigating the parking lot alone was difficult.
How do I get Advil from Walgreens on crutches? I ordered online and used their pickup service which is a life saver!
What options are there for my accommodations that do not involve stairs, and has a handicap accessible bathroom (i.e. grab bars for using toilet, shower)? I asked for a different room and was blessed with a ground floor room with all the grab bars which meant I could shower safely.
The x-rays showed I had a broken fibula, so in essence I broke my ankle. I was put in a boot and told to weight bear as tolerated. A friend was able to find a knee scooter for me at a wonderful place called All Blessings Flow. This definitely helped with my mobility, and I was able to join meals and navigate the world with a bit more ease. With a broken ankle, I now needed to revise my plan and based on some wise advice from my physical therapist friend Jeanne Williams, I made plans to see Dr. Jesse Doty in Chattanooga for follow-up care of my ankle. What a surprise to me when they recommended a non-weight bearing cast for 4 weeks! The cast was the non-surgical solution and if we are talking least resistance, I will go with a cast any day vs having surgery.
The surprise happy of my sabbatical was spending the next week with my 23 year old son. He and I went to Universal Studios in Orlando where he graciously pushed me around in a wheelchair for 3 days! I had the best excuse to not ride the rollercoasters, yet I did all the rides which made one feel like they were on a rollercoaster, or flying through the air or falling off a building. I got to the point where I could open my eyes for the whole ride. Haha, yes the first couple of rides I closed my eyes because I was afraid. I laughed and screamed and my son laughed at me freaking out on rides where we were only 6 ft off the ground. At the end of the 3rd day, I was nauseous at the thought of another ride and ready to be on solid ground for a bit. We spent the next couple of days hanging out at my mom's house in Florida recovering from Universal before heading back to Chattanooga.
At this point of the sabbatical, I am homeless, disabled and unemployed (ish). My daughter didn't have a space for me at her house without disrupting where the grandkids sleep, and her house has stairs to get in and out. While getting up and down the stairs to enter the house is possible, it isn't exactly the safest option on a scooter. So I opted for a hotel room while waiting for my house closing in Chattanooga. A handicap accessible room with grab bars and a shower seat - stuff that is not a luxury when in a cast.
Now I am the part of my sabbatical where I do a lot of sitting, sleeping and TV watching. Where the idea of taking a shower is exhausting. Least resistance is to not get out of bed or leave the room or leave the hotel. Where I feel like I should be productive and get something done that can only be done by sitting. So I start looking for jobs and working on my resume. Because we all know that will help someone's self esteem! I considered how I want to spend my time, and what my talents are. What is this math-powered brain doing as a lactation consultant? I apply for jobs in the financial sector because that seems to be a better fit. I do a few interviews. I move into my new house that has no stairs, has grab bars in the shower and as my daughter said an old lady house. I had no idea that I would need an old lady house when I found it in October!
My new home is a blessing in the path of least resistance. My kids helped me move my physical possessions into my space - including my son loading the U-haul in Knoxville, driving it and unloading in Chattanooga. My daughter arranged for some local help on moving day. With a rolling chair, I have done as much as I can alone to unpack boxes and make my space livable.
Back to the job hunting, and why I went on sabbatical in the first place. In the end, doing all the things or in my case not doing all the things, the constant was family. My own family aside, my work in lactation has brought me into the lives of many families. I have been gifted with getting to know beautiful people who have sought me out for multiple babies, even when they knew what to do. I am part of their parenting journey, so even if their children don't remember me as I do my grandmother, I feel that staying in this field of work is my path of least resistance and how I can best touch souls who need my unique gifts - be that an analytical mind that puts together a spreadsheet comparing breastpumps or the person who listens when the demands of breastfeeding feel like pushing someone in a wheelchair up a hill who accidentally set the brake (oops!). I am the person who comes up with the plan of least resistance and helps moms Bloom Into Parenting.
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