The Path Not Taken

I had my appointment with my surgeon to look at the work he had done.  I didn't peek ahead of time which was good because the drains were attached to the gauze covering the wound.  I made the decision to have surgery because I didn't want to wait 6 to 8 weeks for my leg to heal.  With surgery, he said, it would take 10-14 days.  As it turns out, the surgery wasn't 100% successful.  Two of the stitches didn't hold.  So it will be more than 10-14 days before I heal.  I hope it won't be 8 more weeks but, well, who knows exactly.  When I see him on Monday I am going to ask for a new estimate. Next week I have an appointment at the wound clinic.  Wound Clinic.  Doesn't that just sound awful?  I picture a scene from a movie about the Civil War with a waiting room full of people wearing bloody bandages and holding onto crutches.  I don't want to go to the wound clinic.  So yeah, this isn't the greatest news for me. I keep thinking that there must be a lesson for me in this whole bruising experience.  In a single moment back on July 5th, almost all my habits changed.  Swimming for miles and using the elliptical have been replaced with marathon sessions of lying on the couch with my leg elevated and watching old western shows like Wagon Train, Gunsmoke and Bonanza.  Motorcycling, gardening, and kayaking have been replaced with trips to the drug store to buy antibiotics and gauze.  Who knows what would have taken place if I didn't slip off the deck?  Maybe this bruise recuperation period is preventing something catastrophic from happening!  Maybe, given that I don't know what would have happened if I didn't injure my shin, I am lucky to have suffered this bruise.  Does it sound like I'm grasping for straws? I find it somewhat comforting to think I avoided a worse outcome that day I slipped off a board and hit the deck.