As some of you may know, I have been in Rome for the last two weeks helping out in our Justice and Peace office here. The General Curia building has beautiful marble staircases. Last night, I was descending in the dark and when I got to what I thought was the landing, I swiveled to the right only to find that I had not yet arrived at the landing.

I landed hard on my knee and felt something give way. It was strange to feel a hole where my kneecap should have been.

An ambulance was called, and I was taken to the hospital. The X-rays showed no fractures, but the doctor said that I had torn the ligaments (or the tendons — I don’t know the difference).

The good news is that, with socialized medicine in Italy, I didn’t have to pay anything for the emergency room visit or for a night in the hospital. The bad news is that I need an operation on my knee to repair the ligaments/tendons.

The doctor says that after the operation, I will have a cast and then have to do physical therapy. The recovery time will between 45 days and three months, he said.

Clearly, I would prefer to do this in the States. I am now trying to figure out how to get home, if it is possible to do so.

I have a temporary cast, which keeps the leg immobile. I only have discomfort when the lower leg is twisted to the right or to the left. As long as I keep the leg straight, I have no pain.

So, this is the story of my misadventure. The moral: Watch where you step in the dark on unfamiliar staircases.

I hope that all of you are doing better than I am. All the best. Peace.