Adding illness to injury

I tend to be somewhat maudlin at new year's, ruing the fact that I haven't accomplished a slew of things I'd hoped to by the arbitrary date of 31 December and that sort of thing, but the most recent was an exception. I instead made an effort to focus on the positive and managed to see in midnight with a bucket of champers and nary a tear.

Imagine my disappointment, then, when, four days into 2007, I broke a finger.

I wish I could say I had done it jumping out of a plane or even toppling over, white lady in hand, in my 4-inch heeled Gucci boots (which, incidentally, are intended exclusively for posing, never for walking), but alas, the truth is infinitely more mundane.

Last Friday night, in his ardor to greet his wee dachshund friend, Basil the he-dog wrenched his leash from my hand and in the process fractured the middle phalanx of my left ring finger.

Then, in a lovely one-two punch, on Tuesday I was flattened by the flu, courtesy, no doubt, of one of the many hacking patrons of the urgent care clinic waiting room in which I spent the bulk of my Saturday afternoon.

Of course, as frustrated as I admittedly am, I have decided my new year's lesson, begun on the eve itself, is to learn how to be both patient and accepting of help from others.

These are lessons I have struggled with my whole life, and I guess now I'm being compelled to heed them. It's both very humbling and very freeing, really.

Indeed, another, more obvious lesson, is also the take time to appreciate how nice it is to have ten working fingers and two working lungs. Especially at the same time.

Hope everyone out there has a happy and healthy and lesson-filled new year!!