What’s On Your Nightstand?: The Problem of Reach

They say we’re all just one phone call from our knees. In my case, it was just one concrete step: Last Wednesday, I was running out to do some errands, and I tripped on my front steps. Before I had even reached the ground, I knew something was very wrong. My left ankle was in excruciating pain, and one peek was all I needed to know that it was hanging at an angle that’s all wrong for ankles. (And yes, I know that that proverbial “one phone call” is usually about something more serious and heart-wrenching than a broken ankle. Work with me here! I’m in pain!)

Five days later, I’m still waiting for surgery and trying not to get too fond of my prescription Percocet. Now, some of you unrepetant readers out there are probably thinking “Hey, if you can’t walk, get reading! What a great excuse to indulge completely in our favorite activity!”

If only I’d remembered, from the last time I wound up like this, how much of reading depends on mobility. The books keep arriving at my house, but I can’t sort them, or bring them downstairs to organize. The books that I do have to hand need to be stacked somewhere–but I can’t reach much below or above shoulder height. Until I have a proper cast on, I’m absolutely forbidden from walking, and even once the plaster has dried, I’ll be restricted to the stair-free main floor of our house.