How I Broke My Toe and Still Walked the Entire Hospital
What a Broken Toe Hospital Story Taught Me About Showing Up
This broken toe hospital story wasn’t planned. It was simply one of those days when life quietly piles on challenge after challenge, and you just keep going. What started with a stubbed toe at the studio somehow turned into a full day of hobbling across an entire hospital campus while trying to make sure my mom was comfortable.
Some Days Start Normally
Some days start normally and then slowly unravel into something you couldn’t possibly have planned.
You wake up, go to work, check a few things off your list… and before you know it you’re hobbling across an entire hospital campus with what is probably a broken toe while trying to make sure your mother has tea and magazines in her new room.
Saturday was one of those days.
The Morning That Started Like Any Other
Saturday morning I was at the studio setting up for class when I stubbed my toe so badly I saw stars. The kind of stub where you just stand there for a moment trying to pretend everything is fine while quietly fighting off instant tears.
I carried on and taught two classes anyway, but my foot was throbbing the entire time.
Later that day I headed to the hospital to visit my mom in the ER. Of course, the only parking available was in the north parking lot.
The ER?
South side.
Naturally.
So off I went, hobbling across the entire hospital property. When I got to my mom I didn’t say anything about my toe. She didn’t notice and I didn’t feel like explaining how I managed to injure myself while she was handling her own hell.
After visiting for a bit she said very sweetly,
“Marion, would you be a love and go get me a cup of tea?”
Oh dear.
So down I went to get the tea.
As I was coming back to her room, one of the nurses noticed how badly I was limping and asked if I was okay. I laughed it off and said how clumsy I had been that morning and that I simply stubbed my toe.
She asked if she could have a look. So sweet of her.
I slipped off my sock and she said in the calmest possible voice,
“Yup. I’m pretty sure it’s broken. But there’s nothing you can really do about it.”
Perfect.
Apparently this was the toe from the nursery rhyme that goes… this little piggy had none.
The Long Walks Continue
I delivered the tea, visited with my mom for a while, and then hobbled all the way back to the north parking lot.
I went home for dinner, read some emails, and prepared my Saturday classes before heading back to the hospital to see her again.
Same story.
No parking on the south side.
North lot again.
Hobble hobble hobble.
When I got to the ER they said, “Oh sorry, we moved your mom.”
Of course you did.
“She’s now in the South Tower… sixth floor.”
Good heavens.
All I could think about was how much further away from my parking spot this was going to take me.
So off I went again, limping through corridors, elevators, and what felt like several postal codes of hospital hallways.
One More Trip for Mumsy
I finally arrived at her new room and there she was looking much better than earlier in the day. It’s in a quiet corner and she now has a lovely big window.
She smiles and says,
“Marion, would you mind going down and getting me a couple of magazines? Looks like I might be here a couple of days.”
Back down I go…Then back up.
I sat with her for a couple of hours. We watched some hilarious IG videos about dogs going to their vets. She laughed a lot and that was really all I wanted for her.
I said good night and then made that long freaking journey back to the north parking lot one more time.
By the time I got home my toe was throbbing, it had its own heartbeat.
I was so tired I crawled into bed by 8:30, but the pain kept me awake until after midnight.
But my mom?
She’s doing great.
She’s got her tea.
She’s got her magazines.
And she’s very comfortable in her new fricken room.
Meanwhile…
this poor little piggy has gone from “having none” to having lots of Advil.
A Few Quiet Minutes Before Sleep
Before turning off the light last night, I opened my journal for a few quiet minutes.
Writing at the end of a tough day has become a small ritual for me. It helps me unwind, reflect, and sometimes see the day a little differently than I did while I was rushing through it.
After a day that felt long, painful, and a little chaotic, this is what I found myself writing.
Savvy Sunday Reflection – From My Journal That Night
Today reminded me that love rarely shows up in big dramatic ways.
More often it arrives quietly, disguised as small acts that no one really notices.
A walk down a long hospital hallway.
A cup of tea carried back to a room.
A couple of magazines tucked under an arm.
None of it looked graceful today. None of it was convenient.
But my mom went to bed feeling comfortable and cared for, and that is something to be deeply grateful for.
It wasn’t glamorous. no grand gestures.
Sometimes love simply looks like showing up… And in the end, that was the only thing that mattered.
PS…trying to publish this one last time. It’s been ‘stuck’ in the WordPress outbox for over a week now!
If you are reading this it worked. If not…I guess it will be archived lol
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