I just walked into the town centre and back. It was a momentous occasion, not because of where I went but because I left my walking stick at home.
I've walked into town before carrying the stick rather than using it, but this is the first time I've actually left it behind. After all these years, it felt like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute.
I actually had a problem in W. H. Smith's. I lost my balance and had to grab onto a shelf. It was scary, but I'm sure it only happened because I've become so dependent on the stick that I don't hold myself correctly.
By the time I got back, I was more tired than normal. I clearly use my body in a different, more correct way when I don't use the stick. I'm going to have to wean myself off it and retrain myself to walk more normally.
That's a challenge, but then I remember 10 years ago when I could only walk by using my arms to swing my left leg forward, landing flat on my left foot. My chiropractor at the time told me not to forget how to walk normally. I told him I knew my body hadn't forgotten because I could run in my dreams. He also told me to practise going down on the heel and up on the toe. I practised and practised but couldn't do it. Then 4 months after getting on Youngevity, I was walking down the street one day and realised I was doing it automatically.
So, now I'm at the next stage in relearning how to walk with a completely normal gait.
Watch this space!
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