Here on Jack's TBI Blog, as on just about every other site which focuses on TBI, you don't find a lot to celebrate in the traumatic-brain-injury experience. Things which make you smile, sure, even laugh out loud -- you can find them. But the smiles and laughter always overlay the crushing sobriety of the subject.

But exceptional people can find exceptional strength, wisdom, and hope in the unlikeliest corners of life. One such person, clearly, is the author of the nancynewfreedom blog:

I was injured in an automobile accident and sustained a traumatic head injury approximently four (4) years ago. Pre-accident I was best described as a real workaholic 24/7 and thought I was on top of the world. I have had some very well paid careers, facilitated workshops and training seminars and was one of few females at that level in the industry. From self assured, over confident, over-achiever, outgoing and assertive, and quite proudly referred to as a "Corporate Bitch" ....

And then a few seconds in time made that life stop... and a new one awaited me.

...I am feeling lonely as I try to understand and appreciate this new me... and I am kind of scared.

I think I liked this new me... but I still felt very vulnerable! I want to experience life without feeling afraid or self-conscious... and I want to celebrate this "new me" every chance I get.
...
The learning will never stop and but I believe now that the recovery process ends and you enter the "development process" as you rebuild you life and re-evaluate your existence.

I am a much kinder and gentler soul, and I must admit a much happier one as well, despite my cognitive difficulties and the challenges of trying to relearn the necessary skills to become more independent.

And I have begun to think of myself less as a "new me" and more like the "true me" that was never fully developed.

I myself have never suffered a TBI. But I must say that reading Nancy's blog, suffused in the spirit expressed in the above excerpt from her blog's "About" page -- well, it just reinforces what I've always believed: TBI or no TBI, the things we have in common, can have in common, are way more important than all the things we keep furiously inventing to keep us apart. Extreme experiences, sure -- they can break us. Taken from the right starting point, though, they can also propel us forward into new exciting futures.

Make it a point to stop by and visit Nancy as she explores the "true me" she's discovering. No matter how positive an experience, it's always better when shared.

Labels: Blessing, loneliness, support groups, TBI

An old Irish blessing:

Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!

Labels: Blessing, Good luck, St. Patrick's Day, Wishes