Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Oak Park. The Land of Dreams

I am serious and sincere when I say that. Oak Park is literally the land of dreams. Now whether those dreams came true or are in the midst of coming true is up to the beholder. As I as look at 9th ave, which happens to be the street I call home I can tell you about most of my neighbors. The first ones on the block run a successful landscaping business and play a lot of baseball on the weekends . They are a nice Latino family. My next door neighbors to my right are a young couple whom are both in school. She is trying to become a medical assistant and he is finishing his AA degree. The neighbors to my left are a married couple. She is a professional piano player and he is a some kind of computer engineer. I don't know what he does actually but he is nerdy enough to put it all on some sort of computer engineering . The girl plays piano all day , everyday. I think she is playing different songs everyday but my girl insists that she is playing the same songs. She's pretty good. Further down the block we have a Muslim family that are always very polite and seem quite active in their community. Over the last year we have had an investor by the name of Sultan buy about three of four houses on the block and fix them up. He really cleaned them up and found some nice renters to live in them.

 
People are living their own lives in my neighborhood. Sure we have crackheads, homeless people, and others just keeping it above the poverty line . But we also have culture, hard work and people who are still living their dreams. When I was younger I used to think Oak Park was a black neighborhood. Now I know Oak Park is a part of Sacramento history that will never go away now matter how many times they try and rezone it . It is filled with all types of people. Good people trying to make it in this ever changing world .

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

To One Day Walk Again

It's been tough. Not being able to walk. I mean we have all had bouts of a sprained ankle or a twisted knee and had to stay off of it for a few days. But it is tough to imagine having to be immobile for an extended period of time. That's me. I haven't walked in over a month and a half and I won't be able to walk for at least another  7 to 8 weeks . This broken leg is the worse. It's like having a permanent sign over my head that reads "Ask Me What Happened?" I am determined to be a functioning part of society again soon but I can only do so much.
It's depressing to think about . Living in a world where seeing steps make my palms sweaty and the thought of rain or ice bring on thoughts of immediate defeat. All I want to do is run up a flight of stairs or jump over the smallest of obstacles . But I am stuck holding these pair of crutches and forced to move at others pace. I go to my second doctors appointment tomorrow in hopes of good news. Maybe I am healing faster than usual or maybe I can start physical therapy sooner rather than later?
The best part about breaking my leg is everyday has been an improvement. I mean I literally wake up in a better mood every morning. My leg feels better and my relationship with life is improving daily. I am so thankful for the woman in my life because without her I would be spending days on the couch moping around . I am even back at work because "the bills" don't care if your leg is broken . Having this broken leg has made me appreciate the power of the human mind and the strength of my loved ones. I know i can be a real pain in the ass but that same drive is what is going to get me moving on both of these legs soon.

The only advice I can offer and I know it always sounds cliche but don't waste the things you have . And if you do waste them they weren't ever meant to be yours in the first place . I could complain all day about this but then I realize I will walk again and that is a lot more than others are working with.