Yikes! My 2021 ended with a bang, but not the kind I like! Nope, the bang (more of a "bam", really) was the sound of me hitting my wet deck, the day after Christmas. I slipped and landed squarely on my right hip and sustained three pelvic fractures! I don't need surgery, but I have to be a good girl and not bear any weight on my right leg for 12 weeks! At this writing, I'm two weeks in, so only (hah!) 10 to go. Nurse Kent is taking very good care of me, and each day brings a bit more independence as I figure out workarounds with the walker, crutches, wheel chair, a grabber tool and careful planning. I know I'll come out the other side walking strong again, but it is amazing how – in the space of one second – your life can change completely.
Such events bring new wisdom and humility; here's what I'm learning:

To accept help and not be afraid to request it. That isn't easy for folks who are stubborn about doing for themselves (like me!).
Progress is progress no matter how small it seems. For the first week, Kent had to help me lift my legs into and out of bed; now I'm able to hook my strong leg under my weak one and do it myself.
Find amusement and irony where it turns up: that "strong" left leg is the one that had a total knee replacement five years ago!
Physical therapy is the best. A good therapist is able to help you figure out a few small things that change your world for the better immediately, and in particular, help you know not to always be afraid of pain.

I will NEVER again take it lightly when someone talks about their elderly relative breaking a hip. It is VERY painful, requires prolonged recovery, and instantly robs you of independence. I'm 64, and emotionally and physically sturdy. I will heal, but when you add 20 years to the equation, it's no wonder you hear folks say things like, "She fell and broke her hip and...well, that was kind of the end of things."

The injury required I cancel my January 1 Jarvis Conservatory singing gig – which was disappointing with COVID continually creating disappointments about performance, but they've made it clear they'll have me later this year when I'm better. I'm really looking forward to the end of March 2022. Philosophically speaking, I'm adding this event to 2021's long list of things we didn't like, and hope that 2022 is a turning point.

JIM AND SUSIE NEWS: Jim & Susie Malcolm have cancelled their West Coast tour. It's the right thing to do with the omicron variant wreaking havoc. I hope we'll see continued weakening of COVID into a much tamer beast, and that in a matter of months, we'll be much more blasé about the virus, and able to hang together. Maybe by the time my pelvis has mended, it will be time to get up and dance and sing together without fear of The Rona. And then, we'll have our Malkies back, too!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!