Sometimes, We Just Move Forward, as We Recover ...

Hello Everyone, and a Great Sunday night to you! 

These three towns [I call them hamlets] are part of my life. I presently live in neither but have previously lived in two of them. They are all close together. We all have a bit of a drive to the grocery store, Wal-Mart, etc. That does not stop us from moving about, moving forward, every time.

Please read, I hope you enjoy, and by all means, share! XOXOXO

Forward movement is a large portion of my life just now. In fact, it is a large portion of my very existence. I know you know that I am in recovery from brain injury/stroke last year in April. Many people have told me that I am recovering quite quickly and quite far and a few even have told me that I am a miracle.

So, you’re wondering what I’m writing about tonight, right?

So glad you asked.

I am writing about my awareness expanding as my recovery continues.

You see, for the longest time, I didn’t feel fully injured.

Other than the daily headaches and dizziness and general body weakness, I felt pretty much like myself. That, however, was a bit of a stretch.

You see, I couldn’t stretch. Now, that’s a good one. Stretching is an important part of my regular working out and I found it almost impossible at one point.

However, Stretching is Improving.

Another regular ‘thing’ that I couldn’t do was take long walks. At just about this time last year, my walks were up to 3 miles at a time, and they only took an hour or so. Sometime, it would be an hour and 15 minutes. During my recovery, I become able to take a supposedly long walk. Ha! I couldn’t even make a complete mile without taking a break, sitting on a bench for a few minutes. By the time I was done, I would be exhausted.

These days, I am exhausted in the middle of the afternoon, no matter what I have done. In any case, however, I continue to recover.

One big swing in my forward movement was relief from hallucinations. I took it upon myself to read as much as I could find about this experience. I wanted to know what caused them, when would they end, where they came from.

Lucky for me, I finally said it to the right doctor [an internist, I think] and he told me quite simply and clearly the hallucinations depend on the part of my brain that was injured.

Halla. Lu. Yuh. I love living and learning.

At that point, I did at least relax but they didn’t end.

Another big part of my recovery is my love of reading, learning, researching. I also love to share what I learn. Presently, I don’t have a large gathering of listeners and friends to share it with.

Yet, another reason to share with you.

Oh! ByTheWay: Please, readers, please, share these posts on every social medium that you use. You of course, may have no interest in the process of recovery from a stroke, you may not know anyone who ever had a stroke. According to the figures, you will soon be in of these groups.

One piece of information that really staggers me is the numbers of Americans who have high blood pressure, who smoke, who are overweight, those who don’t exercise, and finally, those who suffer from strokes. Are you one of these?

Staggering.

But, that is enough about me.

Tomorrow, I have a funeral service to attend. To me, it is crucial. It is the member of a family I love dearly, to which I was at once far-out related. I know all the members of that family, right down to the grandchildren.

It won’t be the first one I have attended this year.

It won’t be the first one of that family. Last year in January, that family had another one.

It won’t be a small gathering. And,

It’s expected to be so large, the service is being held at a white church, because it is much larger than the one in our neighborhood.

Wow.

Life is really something.

This person is only 12 years older than me. He told me once that he and my grandfather were baptized on the same Sunday, and how important that made him feel.

Well, I won’t continue with this eulogy, although that is what I want to be my specialty.

I won’t bother to tell you anything else about this dude, a stranger to you all.

However...

I will say this:

Life is real. Life is earnest, and the grave is not its goal

Dust thou art to dust returneth was not spoken of the soul.

...

Act, act in the living present, heart with and god overhead.

Lives of great ones all remind us, we can make our lives sublime

And departing, leave us, footprints in the sands of time.

Footprints that perhaps, another, sailing on life’s solemn main,

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, seeing, may take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing, with a heart for any fate

Still achieving, still pursuing; learn to labor, and to wait. 

A Psalm of Life - Henry W. Longfellow 1838

NOTE: This is not all of the poem, just what I can recall at this moment. Thanks for smiling!

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Okayyy! Now it is two nights later, the time is 10:11 p.m. and I am typing again.

I am entirely pleased with anything near to progress in my posting, so let’s all stand and applaud!

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I was telling you about a funeral I had to attend. I did. It was a large gathering, held at a local white church. Imagine that. We didn’t completely fill the sanctuary, but we could have taken a smaller black church, and made a good fit.

History and cultural practices and traditions, are all other topics for the reverend to discuss. You may recall that I graduated from a liberation theology seminary and that is the point at which all my presentations begin.

OK. Fine. That’s enough of that for now. I will be here again soon. StayWell!

LiveWell, Everyone and

DrinkTeaToday!

 FURTHER NOTE: I will soon begin to share reviews of the books I am reading as I learn about Stroke recovery. 

www.thehealthreverend.com