🐉 I Went to PEI Looking for Rocks... and Came Home with a Dislocated Shoulder
The plan was simple.
Drive to Prince Edward Island.
Walk a bunch of beaches.
Collect cool rocks.
Eat seafood.
Relax.
Honestly, it was shaping up to be one of my favourite vacations ever.
If you've followed me for any length of time, you already know I'm basically a dragon disguised as a jeweller... but secretly I'm also a rock goblin. Put me on a beach and every ten feet I'm stopping to pick something up.
"Oooo... look at this one!"
"I think this one's jasper!"
"Wait... is that quartz?"
Poor everyone travelling with me. 😂
Peak Goblin Behaviour
PEI absolutely lived up to the hype. The red cliffs are stunning, the beaches seem endless, and everywhere I looked there was another interesting stone begging to come home with me.
Life was good.
Then...
🧺 My Greatest Nemesis Appeared
Not a cliff.
Not slippery rocks.
Not ocean waves.
Not even an angry goose.
A picnic table.
A completely ordinary picnic table.
Without getting into all the embarrassing details (because honestly, my dignity has suffered enough), I took a spectacular tumble and managed to dislocate my shoulder.
Apparently this is how I adventure.
🚑 A Trip to Summerside Hospital
So instead of collecting more rocks, I got to collect a hospital bracelet.
The amazing staff at Summerside Hospital took wonderful care of me. They got my shoulder back where it belongs and then introduced me to what I can only describe as... the really good drugs.
In fact, when they discharged me, my paperwork literally warned me not to make any important or critical decisions while the medication was in my system.
I laughed.
Then I realized they were completely serious.
Honestly... probably solid advice.
The Good News
Initially, everyone thought I had both a dislocation and a fracture.
Not exactly the vacation souvenir I had in mind.
Thankfully, the final x-ray report came back with much better news.
No fracture.
The piece they originally thought was broken turned out to be an old bit of calcification that had been hanging around all along.
So the official diagnosis is "just" a dislocated shoulder.
I never thought I'd be genuinely excited to hear the words "just a dislocated shoulder," but here we are.
💪 My New Fashion Statement
For now, I'll be wearing a shoulder brace for the next six weeks while everything settles down.
I'll also be following up with my family doctor and an orthopedic surgeon to make sure everything is healing the way it should.
Recovery isn't something I can rush. My shoulder is going to heal at its own pace, and right now that's exactly what it needs to do.
As much as I'd love to wave a magic wand—or maybe cast Cura a few dozen times—it turns out real life doesn't work quite like an RPG.
🐉 A Little Patience, Please
I also wanted to give everyone a quick update about the shop.
Jewellery making is a very hands-on job (who would've guessed? 😅), and this injury means everything takes longer than usual.
My incredible team and I are still hard at work, but over the next few weeks you may notice production times moving a little slower than normal while I recover.
Thank you in advance for your patience, your understanding, and all of the kind messages you've already sent. They honestly mean more than you know.
😂 Things I've Learned
I've learned that gravity is undefeated.
I've learned that hospital staff somehow manage to be compassionate and hilarious at the same time.
I've learned that strong pain medication comes with paperwork specifically telling you not to make life-changing decisions.
And I've learned that after travelling hundreds of kilometres to one of Canada's most beautiful provinces, my greatest enemy wasn't the ocean...
It was patio furniture.
I'm still laughing about that.
Mostly because laughing hurts less than falling.
💛 Looking Back
Despite the unexpected detour, I wouldn't change the trip.
PEI is every bit as beautiful as I'd hoped. I came home with incredible memories, tons of photos, a collection of rocks that absolutely did not need to come home with me... and a story I'll probably be telling at conventions for years.
So if you happen to see me wearing a shoulder brace over the next little while, don't worry—I'm okay.
Healing takes time, the dragons are still being made, and I'm looking forward to getting back to full strength.
Just... if anyone suggests sitting at a picnic table, I think I'll politely decline.
I've learned my lesson. 🐉💛
Thanks for reading,
