I had a brilliant plan to skip a winter when I was on sabbatical, and what a gift it was to avoid the coldest months in the northern hemisphere with a mild summer down under. Now, however, the leaves are falling in Christchurch, and my wheels are crunching through the masses piled up in the streets and sidewalks. The primary reason for wanting to avoid winter was to lessen my leg spasms. When the cold creeps in, my muscles tighten up, and I struggle to control the spastic shaking.
This week as autumn has fully settled in, I found my legs tightening up, and though I tried to keep moving, there were some hiccups in getting to the gym as frequently. I have an appointment with Mike tomorrow, and I'm still hopeful to see some great improvements despite the setbacks from this week. I've still gotten loads of comments from friends seeing me with the sticks that my walking seems to be steadier and speedier - which I feel as well. Not every single day is going to be record breaking, so I'm not discouraged that this week didn't have any landmark moments in my physical recovery.
I did, however, finally purchase my plane tickets home, so I have an arrival date and just need to confirm a ride home from the airport. I've already got my first Taco Tuesday on the calendar for when I return though. So as my Kiwi friends are hunkering down for winter, I'll be stepping back into summer in Kandern at the start of July shifting from a season of crisp and contemplation to warmth and working again.
There are lots of lasts ahead of me in the coming weeks as I wrap up the sabbatical stay here, so I would love prayers for leaving well in addition to prayers for my body to keep up the big improvements in my remaining weeks. Please pray especially for my skin as the dry winter weather also can effect it. Because I can't feel the effect on my feet, sometimes I'm at risk for sores and irritations.