Oy, another broken ankle post

Ok you dearest cherubs:

One of the things that happens when you damage part of your body, is that you spend time thinking about the time when your body wasn't damaged. I have been thinking about that time.
I was in ballet class every day. I was in class every day when I was training (sometimes twice or three times) and I was in class every day when I was dancing professionally.

For those of you who may not understand, when you are a professional dancer, daily class is a must. As Rudolf Nureyev said "it's boring", but it's necessary. If you don't keep the muscles in shape they won't be in shape.

So when I began my physical therapy for this broken ankle, they put me on the exercise bike. It was unbelieveably painful. I mean, you guys, it was really ummm painful. But I pedaled. I kept pedaling. I'm no hero, not like any of the Olympic athletes you are seeng on TV. But I pedaled. The therapist would stop by every so often while I pedaled and see the tears on my cheeks, but I pedaled. And at one point, she said, you don't have to cry. And I told her yes, yes I do have to cry. This hurts but this is what is necessary at this time. She smiled at me. I could not pedal without crying. And so crying was necessary.

So, this short post is to tell you all, sometimes, crying is ok. And you never know how much what you have already undergone in your life prepares you for what you must face. How much pain ballet causes is how much pain must be undergone from time to time.

I am no hero or heroine. But I will pedal the bike until my foot is well, and then, I hope to walk again.

I appreciate all your good thoughts. Warmly, and with love.

Margaret

What the heck is up?

Dearest, dearest cherubs:

Yes, there are two dearests in there. I have been thinking of you all.

I have been thinking about my life which seems to have taken up an interesting challenge. How to get around with one foot incapacitated?

But you know it's not so much the foot that is bothering me. It's the state of the world that's bothering me. I just picked up my yellowed newspaper which I carefully saved after President Obama's election. What in the world is everybody so danged unhappy about I wonder?

Ok, I usually do not care for one sided opinions. Opinions should be fueled by fact and careful research into both sides etc.

There are no easy answers to anything, there are no easy fixes. When, oh when will Americans figure this out?

Do you expect a president to cure your economic ills? I have some advice for you. Go back to school! I suggest you aquire a credential. I suggest you learn some stuff. I suggest you face the fact that manufacturing in America is done and get on with your life. We are making the transition to a global economy. It's not done yet. It will hurt for a long time. It will hurt and it will stink and you will get angry. But think about this -- the solution is up to YOU.

It's often what I say to women who come to me with problems about men. There are no white knights on horses. Get over it. Your happiness is up to you.

I don't know if I will lose my job. But if I do, getting a new job will be up to me and it will be nobody elses problem. I will be frightened I'm sure. I will be emotional, I'm sure.

I am emotional now. I am a former ballet dancer with a foot that no longer will ever, I mean ever, function as it did. But for heaven's sake it's not President Obama's fault. It's not the fault of the MBTA who had black ice on the curb at the Franklin/Dean station. It was just an ACCIDENT. We use that word because stuff happens that we can't predict. Stuff just happens.

We must have a sense of history. For quite a few years, we allowed excesses to happen in the financial markets. We allowed it (and you can't blame the government, because they are us, and we are them) and why did we allow it? Because people were making money hand over fist, that's why we allowed it.

You all know it. You all used your houses like banks. We all did it. We need to get over it and do the learning that must be done.

My friend Lou Longo speaks often of responsibility. You may not like the consequences of what has happened. But if we all take responsibility, then we can be like the great generation after World War II that Tom Brokaw writes about. We will recover and we can teach our children how to recover.

I'm just thinking out loud as usual my dearest cherubs. Thanks so much for listening.

All my love to all of you.