Not your everyday spring break

MY COUCH -- The last winter snap was heard when my fibula fractured just after the Ides of March.

I sat there, in my driveway: "That did NOT just happen."

So, I limped and hopped for three days, convinced it was a high ankle sprain.

Spring showers rained down the third day when my physician flipped to my second x-ray - his voice bloomed an, "Uh oh!"

He immediately left the room, leaving me peering at what looked like a four-inch split in the bone in my driving accelerator leg.

Ten screws and a metal plate later, I reside on a big blue couch waiting to get back to work and back on my feet.

Do not think I missed the Eagles softball team opening their season with a 15-5 win over Parkers Prairie. The Eagle baseball team sent an early message to teams chasing their 6A title with a 19-1 blowout at Brandon-Evansville.

Unfortunately, all I saw of these games were updates on the Internet.

I envied both track teams getting underway. Those kids can run and jump.

It's a monumental task to get a cup of coffee from my kitchen to the living room on crutches.

Weeks of feeling unstrung, like the tennis racquet hanging in my closet, just waiting to hit the courts.

I love the sound of plopping tennis balls and will miss the opener of that season, as well.

Riding in cars by golf courses with all this lovely weather is beyond depressing.

Many lessons are proffered to the temporarily disabled. Patience, dealing with frustration, the quieting of the mind and the acceptance of assistance from others with humility come to mind foremost.

I had a top-five friend list before the break and those five have proven their worth beyond expectation. I find myself saying, "Thank you," more than any other time in my life.

Perspective and reminders of what and who are important in one's life are priceless.

Slowing down sometimes and smelling the roses leads to opening tulips in the mind.

Priorities shift to an elevated sense of self-worth, self-importance and a self-guarding in what feels like a healthy manner all enveloped in a state of recuperation.

I am left to wonder how those who have recovered from far worse must till the gardens in their minds.

One Mr. Zachary Gabbard must have a fruitful spread in his mind I'll never know, but I can certainly bask in the sunshine of empathy for what must have seemed like an unending wait for any sense of normalcy.

On the flip side, there are certain aspects of being laid up that are really enjoyable.

I have gotten into the opening week of Major League Baseball so much I'm following the Quad Cities River Bats and the rest of the farm clubs of my beloved St. Louis Cardinals.

Some of the best television weeks for a sports fanatic have come, and more are on the way. NHL playoffs, The Masters, March Madness, it all makes for a bit less stress.

Twitter has been a great outlet to keep in touch with everyone from former Focus editor Sam Benshoof, now at the Forum, to Derrick Goold, St. Louis Cardinals beat writer, along with current and former Eagle and Yellowjacket players.

I already miss watching baseball games in New York Mills with Rick Snelgrove's colorful commentary and the changing site and sights at Krueger Field.

I'll be back near the dugouts, on carts at golf courses, praying for sunny days at the tracks and courts, plus enjoying a big bag of Salt-n-Pepper seeds at the softball diamonds around May Day.

Until then, it has been like a distress call at times. Wanting and waiting to be up and around and taking in all the fun of being outside during one of the best spring season weather starts in the last decade. What horrible timing for a literal Spring Break.

East Otter Tail County is the land of state champions and teams from this area threaten titles every season. This spring season will be no different.

While I will be a spectator for the first half of the season (doctor's orders), when the importance of games, meets and matches begin to ramp up, there I will be, probably with a slight gimp and a definite slower pace.

Best of luck to all the teams that are getting their seasons underway and drop by @eotsports when tweeting around.

Believe me, for the next few weeks, I'll be there - and I could use the company.