a couple years ago.

{This is actually my left wrist, the worse of the two. The radiologist labelled it wrong.}

Today marks two years since I broke both of my arms falling off my bike on the way to work. I wanted to do something to celebrate last year but I ended up having the last of three surgeries from the accident, to take the hardware out of my arm. So today I'm going to take the bus to work (natch), get a haircut after work and enjoy some time with Nick. I'm also going to appreciate my arms, 'cause you just don't know how important those suckers are until you can't brush your own teeth.

Breaking my arms was not a good time, by any stretch of the imagination, but there were some good things that came out of it:

• I realized that I can withstand A LOT of pain and I'll be okay. After the surgery to put all the above hardware in my arm, a nurse gave me the wrong instructions for pain medication. Suffice it to say, by 9 PM that night, I was back in the emergency room, literally screaming from pain. (Having the wrong medication when you've had nine screws put into your bone will do that to you.) It was brutal, but I survived.

• Even though I was scarred sh*tless to get back on my bike, I did it. I still ride to work everyday, only now not in the winter, when there are damp leaves for me to slip on.

• My mom is amazing! (Well, I already knew that.) She came out to Vancouver immediately after my accident (like the same day), fed me, bathed me, got me to surgery and kept a level-head on her shoulders (she is a nurse) when I was seeing little red-haired men in my apartment from the pain killers (once I was on the right ones). She and my dad also paid for my flight to go back to Edmonton for a week so that I could hang around home while I recovered (and they continued to feed, bath and generally entertain me). My dad also took me to the ER in Edmonton when we were worried my wrist was infected ... at the height of the swine flu scare.

• Nick is also awesome! We were about six months into our relationship when I broke my arms (though we'd been friends for ten years). He also fed me, bathed me and came straight to the emergency room when I called him, even though we didn't know if anything was really wrong (though after they made me move my arms around for the x-rays, I was certain something was really wrong). He also let me move in with him for a couple of weeks after I came back from my parents' to ensure that I got to eat.

• My friends and family are great! I got a lot of cards, phone calls, visits and even a fruit bouquet (Thanks Andrea!) after my crash. Though I was a little delirious through a lot of it, it was great to have my mind taken off the whole thing. My former roommates, Sam and Erin, were awesome: making up a bed for my mom, making me some meals, taking care of my cat and picking up my end of the housework for a while. Also, my coworkers jumped right up to help me when I arrived that morning in a total state of shock. My boss, Sam, insisted that she drive me to the hospital even though I was certain that I was fine. (Apparently adrenalin makes you think crazy thoughts!)

So, my friends, take a moment for me to appreciate your overused and under appreciated limbs today and the people around you and take care of yourselves!