Monday Mailbox ~ Slowing Down

It's mailbox time to answer your questions. I do know that this is two mailboxes in one day but

Jo,
Woman, you just had a stroke isn't it time you slowed down? As much as I enjoy your books, I can wait. KS

This is my reply...

KS, I've received more emails about writing so soon after my stroke. Yes, the stroke was devastating to me, but the damage was minimal compared to others who have had strokes. Yes, I lost motor function in my arm and leg on my right side. Yes, I lost quite a bit of my overall cognitive skills. I'm relearning how to speak and find words through the cobwebs of damaged gray matter. Rebuilding neural pathways. By doing what I feel I need to do and accomplish with my life is my overall goal. I keep describing my stroke as a bump in the road of life and it is.

Life is about changing and adapting. Without these things life become boring like a hamster on one of those wheels--forever running and going nowhere.

I have in-laws, who while they have hit bumps, have never hit an obstacle like my terminally ill husband I face almost daily. They ran across one extraordinary one dealing with one of their children, which in their eyes was a unclimbable brick wall. We told them that nothing is forever. Just take it one step at a time. If you've laid a firm foundation, they will return to it. Have faith and let it go.

They did. Over time, their child returned to the fold.

For me, to sit and focus on one thing leads to frustration. My life has frustrations or would-be frustrations without me having to add more. I can only do so much therapy before the muscles stop moving in protest. That's a lesson I learned early in my recovery. So I turn my focus to other things like rebuilding my mind or relearning how to do what I once did. Those things are stuff I enjoyed doing before my stroke that I sort of am capable of doing now...like writing.

Granted, it was hard work before and even more of a challenge now. I've never stepped away from a challenge in my life unless it would cause me or someone else harm. Writing is something I enjoyed doing and wanted to do again. Yes, I have slowed down some like writing one book instead of four or five a year. My blogging has picked up, but that's only practice for writing books. Practice makes perfect or something pretty darn close.

My mother used to tell me nothing is impossible. The only thing standing in your way is you. Tell me "No, you can't" and watch me make a liar out of you. My doctors once told me I'd never walk again. I said watch me and did. Now, they tell me that a full recovery from this extensive damage may take years if ever. Once again I say watch me!

Yes, my readers can wait for me to publish more books, but I have to write them first and write I will. It's not that I can't do other things, but this therapeutic too.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.