A Twist of Fate

Last week I hurt my ankle--(I couldn't tell if I was seriously injured or if I was just being a drama queen--because I have absolutely no tolerance for pain).  I'm not sure if I twisted it or sprained it but no matter what you call it, it definitely hurt.  When I was sitting in bed with my foot elevated and a pack of frozen peas plastered on my ankle I felt fine but actually walking on it or having to go up and down stairs felt like I might as well have been trying to scale Mt. Everest.  I was scheduled to work on Monday night but when I woke up on Monday morning I could barely hobble the few steps from my bed to the bathroom--I thought there was noooo way I would be able to work (I mean I could barely even stand).  Trying to do the responsible thing I texted some of the people I work with to see if they would be able to switch shifts with me for some time later in the week...but no luck.  I decided I needed the money and didn't want to leave them high and dry at work trying to find someone to work until midnight on such short notice.  So I just sucked it up and went to work with my sprained/twisted ankle.  The first hour or so wasn't so bad but as the night went on my foot and ankle were both throbbing and for some reason my foot had swollen up like a grapefruit.  I considered asking if I could go home early but I glanced at the clock and it was already 10:30.  Since I had made it to 10:30 I figured I could make it until 11:00 and once I made it until 11:00 I could make it to 12:00.  So that was how I did it--one small step (or one small limp) at a time.  Finally, finally, finally it was 11:59 and there were no customers left in the store and I was outta there!  My bed (and late night t.v.--like reruns of Fraiser and the Golden Girls) were calling my name.  When I got home I put on my pajamas, put a bag of frozen peas back on my ankle and crawled into bed. 

A few days later my ankle was feeling better but it got me thinking that I was pretty lucky in was just a minor thing.  My budget is really, really tight and I plan out when I'm going to pay bills based on my pay check each week.  If something serious ever happened were I wasn't able to work for even just a few days that would be like the iceberg hitting the Titanic (or in this case my bank account) and creating financial disaster--let alone if there any medical bills or any other expenses!  There are so many people with serious or chronic health problems who frequently have to miss work--imagine the stress and anxiety and fear of being sick and then on top of that having to worry about the financial difficulties associated with missing work.  I, as a person am fortunate and we, as citizens, are fortunate to live in a country where we have access to excellent medical care and facilities, but many people are just a few paychecks away from being in serious financial trouble if they have to miss work because of illness or family emergency.