Cold feet

A Childhood Chill

Having grown up on the Canadian Prairie, I know a lot about cold feet. My bedroom was in the basement, and whenever I had to get up before sunrise for sports practice, I would shiver while I rushed into my clothes.

Now I live in the balmy Caribbean, where winter is just a milder version of summer. It's a place where I never expected to have cold feet, but strangely enough, I do. Our house is on a busy street, so we use an air conditioner at night to drown out the noise, and it freezes my feet. As if I were a child again, I wear my thickest socks to bed and shiver if I have to leave my bed before dawn.

Mariette Seed
San Juan, Puerto Rico

A Fear I Overcame

After I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, I wanted my life to continue as it was. Eventually I realized I would have to give up teaching to focus on my healing, but I had cold feet about leaving a career I'd loved for 20 years. It took five months of soul-searching and plenty of support from my husband, family, and friends before I could make the final decision.

In retrospect, I can't imagine what all my fuss was about. Although many cancer patients continue to work because it gives them a reason for living, I found just the opposite. My purpose now is to live each day to the fullest, without the weight of a career, and to enjoy the new interests I've found since I overcame my cold feet.

Donna Shives
Petaluma, Calif.

A Dream of the Outdoors

I moved to Vermont to hike its green mountains, but right after I arrived I suffered a series of injuries to my feet and ankles. I had surgery and rehab treatments, which only caused more problems. Chronic pain took away the greatest joy I've ever known: moving freely through the wilderness. Yet because of alternative therapies, I'm now improving and my prognosis is good. I've begun to wrap my feet and ankles in ice every night to ease the swelling, preparing for the day when I'll be able to go back into the woods where my heart dwells.

Diane M. Lawrence
Middlesex, Vt.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning