Reformatting, updating and re-posting of an article first published on March 2nd, 2014.
Late, last summer we went to British Columbia, Canada to attend the wedding of my nephew and his beautiful bride. It was supposed to be a wonderful event, and it was, but it certainly didn’t start out that way.
Family lore has it that at every big, family function, Anne (that would be me) will either arrive with or manage to acquire during said event, some manner of physical injury. Now, I will admit that has happened a time or two, or three, but it is not like I do it for attention.
And in, my defense, I had not sprained my ankle for more than eight years. Now, for me that is a very long time considering my habit of tripping, falling down etc over the course of my life, give or take a decade. I thought I was cured. Hallelujah!
Let’s fast forward to present day. We were in Victoria for a few days of sightseeing before heading to the wedding venue on Vancouver Island. Just in case, I had consistently worn my ankle brace and running shoes while out and about, except for the last day, “the traveling to the wedding site day”. We left the hotel, jumped in the rented car when I decided at the last minute to make a detour to peruse a shoe store that reportedly carried non leather shoes. If you have checked out my post, FUNNY FEET AND NON-LEATHER SHOES, you will know that I have really funny feet and have difficulty finding good quality non-leather shoes to fit them.
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We parked the car, jumped out as we had jumped in, with no brace in sight. “We are not going far”, I said to myself. I was walking along smartly, not paying any attention to my surroundings, laser focused on getting those synthetic shoes. And that is when the proverbial shit hit the fan. I stepped into a hole in the sidewalk, where a tree, of all things, had been planted. I fell down, spraining my ankle and hurting my arm and shoulder just four days before the wedding. Grrr!
I could not believe it, but like a fool, I was hopeful that it was really nothing. Well, sort of nothing – the ankle was not so bad, but the arm was not so good. We managed to make it to the beach suite where we were to stay with the groom’s parents (my big brother and my sister-in-law) as well as some of my sister-in-law’s family (lovely people by, the way). We were the first to arrive, so picture this scene.
I was sitting on the couch with ice on my ankle, when my family (brother and his wife) arrived on the back porch, saw me thru the patio doors and started to wave hello. When their eyes registered the scene, their faces fell. “Pay no attention to my ankle”, I implored. Suffice it to say that this sad tale of woe has been added to the dreaded book of family lore, once again at my expense. But, we lived through it and had a wonderful, and I mean wonderful time (I do love a family wedding). I even danced, although not in fancy wedding shoes, but rather in some kind of flip floppy sandal, that I had thrown in my suitcase, just in case. It was quite the fashion statement.
What does this have to do with veganism, you say? Well, plenty, actually. I hurt myself while on a non-leather shoe finding mission. Post holiday, I had to find an available physio to give me some immediate help with my almost week old boo-boos! It is not always easy to get a last minute appointment with a physio, but I did manage to find Andrew and boy, am I glad I did. He helped me enormously with my recovery.
Here comes the vegan part. During my first treatment, the physio asked me if I like to eat out and where. Now, up until this point, I had rarely had a conversation about veganism with someone outside my inner circle. Always unsure of what to say and how to respond to questions, I would usually keep quiet. But this was different. We discovered we had something in common, restaurant wise – a delightful vegan restaurant in Montreal – Aux Vivres. We had several conversations about veganism over the course of my treatments and I felt very comfortable sharing some facts about the ongoing and widespread exploitation of other species of animals for human wants, not needs. So as the Francophones here in Quebec will often say, “I was, on this occasion, lucky in my bad luck”.
Annie’s Vegan View
But if you do, hopefully with it will come a new experience, some newfound courage and another road to travel (but not on crutches) LOL!
Speak up about veganism when the opportunity presents itself, with both compassion and understanding!
May all beings be happy and free.
Oh Anne! I’m sorry for your ankle and other injuries! That tree had no business being there, LOL! Yes indeed: “Speak up about veganism when the opportunity presents itself, with both compassion and understanding!” Always! ❤
Thanks Tannia,
I agree with you about the tree. That having been said, I have been working on watching where I am going. LOL!
Take care,
Anne