When I say tired, I am not referring to exhaustion which I have written quite a lot about, and which is quite different from tired. Tired requires rest and sometimes sleep, but tired does not have a long-lasting effect like exhaustion.

I was helping move physical education equipment from the “old gym” to the “new gym” and one of the students was having a problem getting the outdoor volleyball standards through the door. Being the helpful person that I am I put my foot against the door so he could maneuver the standard just as it slipped out of his grip landing on my foot. The thing to remember is that these things are filled with cement to make them stable during play.

My foot was X-rayed several times, but was not found to be broken, just severely smashed. The bruises went all the way up to my knee and I was not allowed to put weight on that foot, as if I wanted to anyway. I had to sit with that leg propped up and move as little as possible. I had always been a good sleeper, but now sleep evaded me.

That is when I realized that having something to do that makes us tired at the end of the day was in fact an exceptionally good thing. Therefore, even though I cannot do much at a time because I lack the stamina, I try to keep busy as I recuperate.