As some of you will know, until recently I was away from Medium (apart from a handful of posts) for more than a year, beginning when I was preparing to move from England last spring and return to Canada. I was moving to Ontario to stay with a dear friend who was terminally ill, and we thought he had a year — perhaps longer — that we could enjoy together.
Sadly, an unexpected situation arose and he died almost as soon as I arrived. We had one lovely evening together, and for that I am grateful. But his was not an easy death and the few weeks I was there were terribly distressing.
I had to move again shortly after his death. My belongings hadn’t even made it halfway across the Atlantic. I returned to Calgary, where I’d lived most of my life before moving to England. Shortly after arriving, I slipped on the ice, ripped the quadriceps muscle off the bone and broke my kneecap rather spectacularly.