Dec.30. 2020, I broke my right ankle. (One of our dogs ran at me and totally knocked me off my feet!) Surgery was the next day. The following day. Jan. 1, 2021, I came home with 7 screws and a metal plate in my ankle to begin months of convalescence.
I had markers, a sketchbook, and some paper cups (McDonald’s medium coffee cups!) brought to me while I was in the hospital. In fact I would say making art is what got me through my whole hospital experience!
Thanks to Julie, my first Nursing Assistant, I discovered that the hospital is starting up an Arts Program for patients. Julie took the time to hunt up the flyer for this program and now, 2 weeks post op, I am already reaching out to offer some ideas.
The idea of using McDonald’s coffee cup hit me some years ago and eventually led to my scoring 60 free cups from McDonalds. I use markers on these cups to create what I consider first class art. Anyone who showed interest in my artwork while I was in the hospital got their own coffee cup. (I think I gave away 5.) Ishmael, my nurse for the last day I was in the hospital, had me sign and date his cup! (I also gave away 2 or 3 business cards!)
Now home, making art continues to be a significant part of my day! I’ve done a few more cups, done work in my sketchbook, recreated a cardboard box to hang on my walker so I can carry stuff, started a “newsletter" for our grandchildren (ages 2 to 8), written a pile of thank you notes on homemade notecards - all featuring my artwork - to various family members, and am now talking with (via email) a global charity about using my abstract art as a way to solicit donations!
I begin a new week tomorrow with at least half a dozen small art projects waiting for me, starting with three 7 day candles, which I am going to use markers on to create something colorful! While it’s true that staring ahead at upwards of 3 months for recovery is miserable to think about, looking at the same time frame and scheduling art/writing projects, producing a weekly newsletter for our grandchildren, blogging, making music (something else I love to do), and keeping up with *“Ishmael",” my new “recovery Facebook page, all the while thinking and reflecting on what else I can open myself up to during this solitary time, makes the desert in front of me look almost lush with life, growth, and possibilities! O the wonder!
The name Ishmael is Hebrew and means God listens, which led me to use it for my new Facebook page!
