My entry for LEARNANDEARN CONTEST WEEK 23

Learning curve this week: TOUGH (except for lesson 5)

Lesson 1: Soft arch supports can be trimmed to fit a woman's shoe, no matter how large they are

Some background: I am working hard to get back in shape after major injury to my entire left leg. I was in a wheelchair two years ago, and then transitioned to a walker and then to a cane, where I am now. While all THAT was going on, I didn't notice what was happening to both arches. That didn't become apparent until I started doing walking for fitness. Feet, knees, and back ALL started hurting; left foot started swelling and was actually injured in the whole process. OUCH.

The problem: they don't make arch supports for people like me, people who aren't supposed to even heal from the kind of injury I have, much less be doing walking for fitness.

The solution: industrial strength work insoles from Walgreens, trimmed to feet my little shoes. It is necessary to take the insole that comes with a regular tennis shoe out to make room, but the shock absorption and arch support is worth it! My foot is healing now and I am getting around again, although I have plenty of ground to make up again

Lesson 2: Garlic, onions, ginger, and cloves are ALL mild blood thinners, and NOT MILD in combination

I knew this before this week. I didn't realize what they could do in combination until this week, when I consumed all of them in abundance during that ONE week of the month -- this week for me -- when the last thing a woman of relative youth needs to be doing is eating even ONE item that causes greater blood flow. This would also be a dangerous thing to do for someone already taking a blood thinner, or, going through this week with iron deficiency anemia. But at least there is a cure for that when you do it right ...

Lesson 3: Spinach, kale, oatmeal, and thyme help stabilize iron loss -- but only when NOT eaten with dairy!

Spinach, oats, kale and thyme are all high in iron, and so of course are beef and chicken legs, but I haven't been really feeling the beef and chicken legs. So that leaves the veggie and grain options... but I messed up two of them. The problem: calcium binds with iron and makes both inaccessible to the body. I forgot not to make my oatmeal this week with milk until today, and I forget not to have a big slice of cheese with my spinach and onions dinner a couple of days ago. It all tasted great, but from an iron perspective to offset the monthly losses, that was a total fail. NOW I remember, so there will not be these problems for the rest of the week!

Lesson 4: There is a major communication problem where I work, but the key is being part of the solution

One has to be careful in complaining about other people's hang-ups. The things that most annoy us are the things we see in others that we don't like but ignore about ourselves. At the moment there is a great choke point around personnel issues where I work, but in discovering this I realized there was some information I needed to pass on and had needed to pass on but didn't. So, after my discovery, my task was to get my part of the mess cleaned up, which opened one more clear channel for information to flow. As I say often, humble pie is often on offer, and eating it is good for us...

Lesson 5: I can write a short story each and every day

I have discovered the freewriting community on Steemit, and I enjoy the five-minute freewrite challenge. It's just five minutes... another ten or so of editing and polishing ... but it is a nice break from the other tasks of the day, and it allows me to see that I indeed am as prolific in creative writing as I am in music.