Well, I just returned from another visit under the knife. Okay, so it wasn't anything serious - I had my last screw removed ... from my ankle. If you ever want to experience your own mortality and the feeling of vulnerability, then break a leg. Or in my case, an ankle and a leg. It is a tough pill to swallow. Still, the pill must go down, the lessons must be learned (whatever they are), and life will go on, with or in spite of me. It has been a year since I did the damage, and this was the last bit of hardware to come out. I have not recovered full mobility in my ankle, and I believe the screw was the cause. Just hours after surgery, and already my ankle feels looser, more mobile. It seems that artificial is not always best. Indeed, I believe that natural is more often better. Things just flow better if they are natural - the way they are meant to be without being forced. When we fill our lives with artificial supports it often means we are missing something or that something is wrong. I had my screw removed because it was interfering with my natural movements. A screw was put into my ankle because something was wrong. It had no business being there before I broke my ankle, and it has no business being there now that the problem has been fixed. It was a temporary support until the natural movement was restored. It's purpose has been served, and so it has been removed. To hold onto the artificial support beyond its intended use would only cause me to limp when I should be running.