Bus Shenanigans.

Since I moved here in April, I've only got on a bus once. Where I used to live, was a couple miles out of town so there was just the one bus and so (supposedly) a timetable it ran to, and a bus stop with a seat. Now, I live pretty much in town, but obviously I still need to travel to other parts of it. There is a bus stop a short walk from here, but it has no seats and because I am in town, it is just a generic bus stop where most buses pass on their way to the bus station, therefore it is difficult to find out which bus is going by when, and when you want to get to a specific part of town, you need a specific bus. 
Usually, with the lack of seat and confusion over what bus may or may not turn up at some point, I've just not bothered with it. 

Yesterday, the boyfriend had driven to work at the pub, where a friend was also having birthday drinks. I didn't want to cycle and then be tempted to get a lift home with the boyfriend leaving my bike behind. Plus, it was bloody cold and I don't work too well in the cold these days making cycling in it difficult. So I decided to put my worries to one side and get the bus. 

I had gone for a walk during the day, with the aim of getting some lunch. I hadn't walked further than the aforementioned bus stop since this recent relapse and so I thought I needed to start testing my abilities again (I feel I'm always testing them, getting them up to strength and then being knocked back down before I've had chance to use them and then having to relearn my new ability levels, but that's separate issue!) especially before seeing the neuro on Friday. The walk went well and I ended up going probably double the distance as well as walking round a few shops. 

So with my new found walking confidence, I looked up the bus times and saw that the bus I needed was going to get to the bus station at 9pm, the stop I use is a few minutes away so I figured ten minutes before would be fine. So chilled out was I, that I wasn't worrying about what would happen if I missed the bus. I could walk to the bus station I thought, there'll be loads of buses there. If not, I could get a taxi. Off I set, ipod in ears and a swing in my step. Arrive at bus stop (the one without a seat) to discover the nice new electronic sign informing me the next bus I required was in 28minutes. 
Stand for 28minutes or walk for 10minutes? No contest. The bus station was probably about the same again as I had walked earlier in the day with ease, so no problem I thought. A few metres after I passed where I'd made it earlier, I needed to sit down. Rolled a cigarette, texted the boyfriend and up I got, still confident and relaxed. 
As soon a I set off again I got a weird pain in my left foot, like cramp but it only hurt when I was actually walking. My right leg quickly followed, maybe it felt left out at the attention my mind was giving to my left foot, or maybe it was tired from overcompensating and thought the left should start pulling its weight a bit more. Either way, it decided it no longer wanted to be doing what I told it to do. 
I made it to the bus station, passing the taxi rank with a large queue of taxis just begging to be used. No no I thought, you can make this Mustard, get round that corner only a few more metres. In my minds eye I would round the corner and find an array of buses for my choosing. 
When I got there, I saw no buses, just signs on all the stops saying 'stop suspended, see sign' what sign? You're a sign, tell me the information, not direct me to another sign that clearly is not there. 
So I sat down in the stop, people looking at me as if to say "doesn't she realise there are no buses from here, is she thick or something?" 
With my right leg and left foot still having some weird power struggle, it was clear there was no way I'd make it walking all the way, with at least triple the distance again ahead. I took a deep breath and headed back the way I'd come to the taxi rank. I could see them, I could see the big queue, but what a distance it seemed. All of a sudden my superwoman feeling had receded. Walking along the queue of about 10 taxis seemed like the biggest mission of all. 

However, I achieved that mission and I got in the taxi and I went to the pub. My left foot still hurts a lot today but my right leg has decided it will be sympathetic and help out, so I can limp about with as much ease as one ever can. 

I could look at this situation two ways: I could beat myself up for not making it the whole way, I could lament about having missed the first bus, the lack of buses and appropriate sign-age, I could be miserable that I have to stay in today as I'm too tired and sore to make it out the front door. OR, I can be proud of myself for walking as far as I did, for putting my worries to one side, for making it to the pub and be happy to chill out for a day around the house. 
Right now, I choose the latter. 

(my 'S' key is sticking, which when writing a post primarily about buses, is not helpful!)