For those of us who are ill and/or in pain we often feel useless. We see the world humming along, hear about the many successes of others and wonder with despair, “How will I accomplish anything in life when I it takes every ounce of strength I’ve got to get through the day?”
When I fell 5 years ago this weekend, it became excruciatingly painful to do anything with either of my arms. Eating, opening the refrigerator door, slicing a zucchini, tearing off a sheet of toilet paper were all off the charts painful. I was blessed in that I found Faith in Action http://www.fianationalnetwork.org/. This organization had volunteers who drove me to and from medical appointments. One person came once a week to help slice vegetables and prepare hamburgers. To find a local Faith in Action organization near you Google "Faith in Action" and the nearest Faith in Action will appear. Each group has a slightly different emphasis.
I began to wonder how many people in the world live like this? How do we find one another? Will I ever feel useful again? How can I reduce my pain at least a little?
I spoke often with a counselor, Jane . She did not want to hear about the pain. Jane encouraged me to focus on things that made me feel useful. I started talking into a tape recorder about my pre accident life in which I traveled around the world (see 40countriesbymyself.blogspot.com). Jane would talk a lot about finding volunteer work. My doctor encouraged me to do something that made me better about myself. In the 3rd year I began dictating about making scarry money matters easy for folks (see dontyougobroke.blogspot.com).
This weekend marks the beginning of Year 6 of this new life. I am feeling a little better and have a college student help me a few hours a week. I dictate blog entries and my helper transcribes them. I can read a few minutes a day.
For any of my readers who want to offer something to the world I strongly recommend reading The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott (2010) see davidmeermanscott.com and http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=david+meerman+scott. Reading The New Rules makes me feel hopeful that I will learn how to use the internet to reach others and feel better about myself.
(The counselor’s name has been changed.)
When I fell 5 years ago this weekend, it became excruciatingly painful to do anything with either of my arms. Eating, opening the refrigerator door, slicing a zucchini, tearing off a sheet of toilet paper were all off the charts painful. I was blessed in that I found Faith in Action http://www.fianationalnetwork.org/. This organization had volunteers who drove me to and from medical appointments. One person came once a week to help slice vegetables and prepare hamburgers. To find a local Faith in Action organization near you Google "Faith in Action" and the nearest Faith in Action will appear. Each group has a slightly different emphasis.
I began to wonder how many people in the world live like this? How do we find one another? Will I ever feel useful again? How can I reduce my pain at least a little?
I spoke often with a counselor, Jane . She did not want to hear about the pain. Jane encouraged me to focus on things that made me feel useful. I started talking into a tape recorder about my pre accident life in which I traveled around the world (see 40countriesbymyself.blogspot.com). Jane would talk a lot about finding volunteer work. My doctor encouraged me to do something that made me better about myself. In the 3rd year I began dictating about making scarry money matters easy for folks (see dontyougobroke.blogspot.com).
This weekend marks the beginning of Year 6 of this new life. I am feeling a little better and have a college student help me a few hours a week. I dictate blog entries and my helper transcribes them. I can read a few minutes a day.
For any of my readers who want to offer something to the world I strongly recommend reading The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott (2010) see davidmeermanscott.com and http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=david+meerman+scott. Reading The New Rules makes me feel hopeful that I will learn how to use the internet to reach others and feel better about myself.
(The counselor’s name has been changed.)
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