My Summer Highlights Story

This summer was an absolute whirlwind. It both felt like it went on forever and went in the blink of an eye at the same time. This year is just flying by...I swear I was just watching the ball drop in NYC.

The past 10 weeks were glorious ones, and despite the speed with which they went, it was quite a busy summer. But, I always like to think that it’s better to be busy than not. This summer, for me, was the perfect combination of busy and fun. With that, let’s dive deep into the best bits from this summer…

Phasing out of the brace     In June, I started only wearing my brace at night, and my, has it been GLORIOUS. Having more time out of the brace meant my first full beach day, two swim practices a day (one of the few cons of not wearing a brace), and a lot of sore muscles. Surprisingly enough, my muscles are still getting used to the brace-free lifestyle, but I’m happy to report that progress is being made, and for the bad days, my buddy Al (aka my foam roller) can assist me in “rolling out” the pain (yes, I can feel you cringing through the screen, but I just couldn’t resist).

Swimming     Speaking of the dreaded practices, most of my summer was spent splashing around in freezing water at 5:30 in the morning. Gotta love summer break. Even though I hated having to wake up even earlier than during the school year, I have to admit, the early practices definitely helped keep my back lose throughout the entire day. Plus, I saw some improvements in my swimming as a result of less bracing - that’s right, my (nonexistent) back muscles are finally getting the workout they’ve been avoiding from years of being supported by my brace.

Art     I used to take weekly art classes, but once high school started, I didn’t have enough time for them. Luckily, I forced myself to make time for my art, and I have no regrets. Getting back into my art reminded me of just how much it helped with my overall wellbeing. ​​​

New York    I love traveling, and this summer, I got to travel to the East Coast with my family. We went to New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. And the best part? I got to fly brace-free. And my, oh my, was it AMAZING. You can read more about my trip here.

Bloggy Bits     I could not have asked for a better summer in terms of this blog, and of course, I have you to thank for that. This summer, I reached 1,500 views of the blog *insert party horn sound effect here*, and connected with so many of you, who were willing to share your stories. I also (finally) started a Bent Not Broken instagram account (shameless self-promo: @bentnotbrokenscoliosis ;).

P.S. My last doctor's appointment and x-ray is in less than a month, so keep an eye out for an article about that! Whether you too, are nearing your last appointment, or you were just diagnosed, remember, we're bent, not broken! :)