I’ve been thing a lot about resilience lately. Most people who have lived life are resilient. We’ve been through life changes, lost people, gone through illnesses, had our hearts broken. While watching a TED talk about resilience, the speaker talks about the three things resilient people have in common. One, the recognition that life happens,…
This summer has been busy. I’ve traveled a good amount of the time, but I also have been dealing with the loss of three very important women in my life. It occurred to me today after talking to Ashley and a friend yesterday, it takes a good deal of energy to get through any given…
One thing the stroke gave me was a glimpse of, or a better understanding of, being a shadow of myself. My father lived that way for most of my life, until he passed away in 2002. He had lost my brother in 1968 and my mother eight months later. He was so lost. He lived…
In January I started working with a trainer three times a week at a gym near my house. I walk there, it’s 1.3 miles from my house. Of course, the street is scary because the sidewalk is right up against the road and people drive really fast. But I do it. There and back, I’m…
Two years ago, I decided to read one hundred books. At first, I couldn’t recognize simple words without looking them up…I ended up reading eighty-five books that year. This past year, I had enough of reading and didn’t start up again until July 1st, and again, I had to look up all the small words…
The malady between me and my higher power happened when I was deathly ill. I was ready to die and was at peace with it. I ended up having a procedure that wiped out my bone marrow and rebuilt it over several days. It was to reboot my immune system; I was grateful it worked….
Recently I was on vacation. I met my sisters in Washington, DC, then we went on to New York City. My elder sister and I returned to DC for a few extra days. I found it stressful. No, not because of my sisters, but just the shuffling of things, Air B & B, Hotel, condo,…
This week a friend of mine messaged me, letting me know she would be in town in November. The end of her message said, “…I just really want to see you; you’ve been through so much.” It was funny because my first thought was, what is she talking about? It was then I realized I’d…
The last few months have left me peaceful. More peaceful than I have been since the stroke. It was not an easy journey. I had to increase my meds; I joined a group of “transitioning” senior citizens for intensive/immersive outpatient therapy, (although I’m not a senior citizen). I did three weeks with the group. Ashley…
Today I noticed a post in a group on Facebook, a woman was saying how she saw her reflection in a window and was shaken by the old lady with the cane. I can relate to not exactly this, but those jarring moments when we realize we are not the same. Of course, someone had…