Things you remember when putting on your socks


A friend asked me at dinner a couple weeks ago "what is it like to have ALS"?  I told her it was incrementally different day to day and simple things, like light switches and door knobs became difficult issues".

"What is something that is really hard that you have to do every day"?
"Put on socks".

It is true. If you doubt me put on a sock with one hand.  Call me when you are done.

This morning's left foot struggle set me to thinking as the bottom of my left leg has about a 20 inch scar that shows up when it is cold and having a minute while resting up to finish, I was remembering about 40 or so years ago when I was partner in a small medical device firm outside of Philadelphia. I rented a small apartment in an old
This is the driveway and
 that is the manhole...really.
farmhouse type building, and getting home late, I went down to the mailbox in the pitch dark and stepped into a manhole that was accidentally left open. Left leg first, shin bone scrapping, chin hitting the pavement...well a real swan dive. I was there for three hours before someone found me.

I'll remember that Swan Dive every time I put on my left sock on a cold day.  The video below has nothing to do with the tale and, similarly, my manhole story has zip to do with anything.