Michelle & Hillary, and LinkedIn

Many people have seen the Michelle Obama speech at the Democratic National Convention. It went viral on my Facebook feed. I caught her speech online, and I had to stop watching at one point and watched the rest of the next day. Here is where I stopped:

"And when she didn't win the nomination eight years ago, she didn't get angry or disillusioned. Hillary did not pack up and go home. Because as a true public servant, Hillary knows that this is much bigger than her own desires and disappointments. So she proudly stepped up to serve our country once again as Secretary of State..."

This passage haunted me because I lost an election for school board last fall, and I decided to get out of volunteer work in public education. Michelle's comments stung me--it was as if she were calling me a quitter, even though she wasn't. First, Michelle doesn't know me. Second, Hillary was getting paid to be Secretary of State whereas I was a volunteer. Third, if John McCain had won, Hillary would not have been Secretary of State.

In the meantime, I am in the process of figuring out what I want to do next with my life. This is a challenge. Yesterday, I got an email from LinkedIn telling me people were looking at my profile. One of the people was my friend's father whom I got to know fairly well a few years ago. It was then I realized I haven't updated my LinkedIn page since I ran for School Board, and my last entry was School Board candidate. What should I update it with next?

November 5 to December 18, 2015 -- Recovering School Board Candidate

Chilled: Went from gas pedal firmly pressed to the floor for nine months to dead stop

• Did not manage any emails
• Did not take any phone calls
• Did not do any public speaking
• Did not raise any money
• Did not manage campaign staff
• Did laundry, quilting and cooked dinner.

December 19, 2015 -- Recreational Skier, Summit at Snoqualmie

• Effectively utilized Ski Patrol services to escort me from top of Outback to bottom of hill.
• Effectively tore ACL, MCL and meniscus in one fall.

December 20, 2015 to January 7, 2016 -- Injured person in denial.

• Learned how to use crutches
• Learned how to ascend and descend stairs using the "up with the good, down with the bad" method. As a self-learner, I discovered this on a YouTube video.

January 8, 2016 to present: Physical Therapy and Orthopedic Surgery Patient

• Learned to reactive left quadricep muscles.
• Learned to walk using "heel-toe" method. 
• Successfully completed "pre-hab;" stopped using brace and crutches prior to surgery.
• Learned the importance of icing and elevating knee three times a day.
• Didn't swear at children/spouse too much when they weren't being helpful; showed much appreciation when they did.
• Managed to limit use of prescription painkillers after surgery. Used ice, elevation and ibuprofen for discomfort as alternative synthetic opiates.
• Normalized gait.
• Increased extension in leg left from from +5 to -7 degrees in five months.
• Increased flexion from 75 to 145 degrees in four months.
• Continuing to get 45 minutes of cardio-vascular exercise a day.
• Can walk up and downstairs consistently.
• Weened self from use of disabled parking permit except when parking is a real bitch.
• Current Goal: Jogging and running.