Independence Is Not About Doing Everything Alone — What My Broken Bone Has Taught Me — June 30, 2026 (Tue) Reiwa8

Today, for the first time since breaking my arm, I was able to tie my own hair.

Of course, I still cannot use my left arm fully. I managed it by using my injured left hand only as a slight support while doing most of the work with my right hand.

To be honest, I had been struggling with this for quite some time.

Not being able to tie my hair was much more inconvenient than I had expected, and I even considered cutting it short.

Then, one thought came to me.

"Is it really impossible?"

Surely I am not the only person who has ever broken one arm. There must be many people who have faced the same problem. I doubted that every one of them had simply cut their hair short.

So I searched YouTube and the Internet for ways to tie long hair with one hand.

After trying several methods, I finally managed to do it.

It wasn't perfect, but I was genuinely happy.

I had gone through something similar with my arm sling.

I felt sorry asking the staff to help me put it on every single time, so I searched for a medical sling that I could wear by myself. My doctor approved one of the products I found, and my husband kindly ordered it for me through Amazon.

Now I can put it on by myself, and it has made my daily life much more comfortable.

There was just one thing I still could not do.

I did not have enough strength in my left hand to fasten the adjustment strap completely.

Last night, because it was only partially secured, the buckle pressed against my shoulder while I slept, and it became painful.

So today I went to the staff office and asked, "Do you have a moment?"

I only needed help with that one part.

Once they secured it properly, the sling immediately became much more comfortable.

That experience made me realize something.

Perhaps independence does not mean being able to do everything by yourself.

You look up what you can learn.

You try everything you are able to do on your own.

And when something truly cannot be done alone, you simply ask for help.

Maybe that is what real independence is.

Before I broke my arm, I often felt that asking for help was somehow a burden on others.

Now I see it differently.

If I keep increasing the things I can do by myself, while accepting help only when I truly need it, that is enough.

Today was the day I managed to tie my own hair again.

But more importantly, it was the day I asked myself, "Is it really impossible?"

That single question changed the way I looked at many things.

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